Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Read online

  I suppose I really ought to pay Carrie a visit one of these days soon, too, Annie thought. She was afraid that she wasn’t the best when it came to keeping in touch with people. Her shyness didn’t help with that, surely.

  The two ladies carried on their friendly, easy-going banter for a bit longer but then Annie knew she had to return to work in time for the dinnertime arrivals. She stood up from her chair and Beverly gave her a big hug.

  “Please don’t be a stranger,” she beseeched. “After all, we’re neighbors! And kind of coworkers still.” She winked and Annie laughed.

  “Okay, I’ll be sure to stop in to visit you more often,” Annie replied. “Whenever life’s not too crazy.”

  Beverly chuckled. “Well, maybe don’t stop in when life’s too boring either. Then we won’t have anything to talk about.”

  Annie left the butcher shop, carefully disposing of her paper trash in a bin by the door as she went. Visiting her friend did help her to feel less alone. Of course I’m not alone, she thought. I’m never alone with all of my good friends here. It felt strange to her, but something seemed to be missing from her life now that Beverly and Carrie had both gone away from the Stewart House. It was almost as if a light had dimmed and left her desperate to adjust and see clearly again.

  When Annie arrived back at the restaurant later that afternoon leading into evening, she found quite a kerfuffle waiting for her. The dinner train that was going to be stopping in the station momentarily was said to be another full one; full of eager patrons who were bound to come bustling through the doors of the establishment, hungry and impatient. Bring it on, Annie thought with a satisfied smile. These kinds of evenings were what she lived for. This was just the thing she needed to take her mind off of the strange, out of sorts feeling she’d been trying to keep at bay all day.

  She found herself rubbing her hands together with anticipation as Rita told her and the rest of the girls to head out and greet the tables of customers. Annie went right up to the first table in her area of the eatery. “Welcome to Stewart House! My name’s Annie. What may I get for you?”

  The customers were all smiles back at her, for the most part, and didn’t seem to notice her slightly overzealous demeanor. It’s strange, she thought as she took an order down in her notepad. I’m never shy when I’m out here assisting customers. I wonder if it has more to do with them than it does with me. Helping people makes me feel cheerful.

  There was one such customer, however, who wasn’t smiling when she returned to his table. “Miss,” he told her, getting her attention as she made her rounds. “Do you have a moment?”

  She stopped walking on her way and came over to his table. “Yes, of course.” Annie beamed. “What may I help you with?”

  The gentleman gestured at his bowl of beef stew. “This is completely cold,” he complained. “What, did you leave it back there and let it turn into ice before bringing it to me?”

  Annie felt her smile fade from her face somewhat, but she did her best to keep it there just the same. “My apologies, sir,” she said at once, bending down and carefully scooping up the bowl from in front of him. “I’ll be sure to run this right back and fetch a fresh, hot bowl of stew for you right away.”

  The gentleman grunted a bit. “See that you do.”

  He was a middle-aged man with dark hair and a beard. The usual sort of man who came in via the railroad. Annie got the impression that he’d made this trek before, probably off to mine in Oregon or some such thing. She didn’t recognize him from any other evening, however. Perhaps word of mouth had finally convinced him to check out the Stewart House, or perhaps he just so happened to be passing through on one of the trains that stopped in Wallace.

  “Is this your first time dining with us, sir?” Annie asked politely as she returned with a fresh bowl of stew, placing the bowl down carefully in front of him. She preferred using the silver trays, but exceptions had to be made in a pinch such as this.

  The man nodded his head. “Sure is,” he said. “I figured it was about time that I saw what all the fuss was about.”

  Annie’s smile grew bigger at the sound of that. “Did you hear about us on the railway during your journey?”

  “Oh, all the time,” the man said, spooning himself some stew and placing it into his mouth. His face said it all; he was pleased by the temperature now. “A fellow can’t go anywhere anymore without hearing about y’all’s restaurant,” he added.

  “That’s good to hear,” Annie said. “I guess the word of mouth along with all of the newspaper ads that Mr. Stewart runs are really paying off.”

  “It certainly appears that way” he replied, giving her a small bit of smile of his own. The fresh stew had been their truce. “I admit that I have my reservations about this enterprise, but when I see the way y’all have drummed up the interest and, well, look around and see all these people, it makes me realize that your Mr. Stewart was really on to something. Besides, anything that gets more young folks interested in moving out here and helping us miners and cowpokes is fine by me.”

  Annie nodded at him. “Thank you, sir. I’m mighty glad to hear that.”

  She had been so panicked about his reaction to the stew, but his mood changed substantially once the error had been corrected. All the poor man wanted was some nice, hot food after a hard day’s work.

  Annie continued to assist other tables, refilling their drinks and bringing out plates of desserts. As she worked, her thoughts drifted from the gentleman she just served to the other, younger man who had visited previously. She smiled when she thought of how she was able to help the young farmer who couldn’t read and had needed her extra help with the bill. I don’t know why Beverly could have ever thought that her work wasn’t worthwhile here. There are so many nice people in need of assistance.

  She supposed that was what made her different from the other girls: she saw only the good in the things that Mr. Stewart was doing. She never felt restless in her job. How could she? After leaving her home in Massachusetts to come all the way to Kansas, the last thing she wanted to do was to have to pick up and leave again.

  Perhaps Mr. Stewart will give me a raise once my contract is up? she thought. I’ve been working here nearly a year now, and I believe I’ve been doing exemplary. Rita will surely vouch for me. Annie saw no reason why she shouldn’t be rewarded for remaining faithful to the job and her boss instead of breaking her contract and running off with the first handsome man she saw.

  Annie tried very hard to not judge her friends, but looking around the restaurant made her sense that, though she missed them when she had down time, the restaurant really didn’t need them. There wasn’t a gaping hole where Carrie or Beverly should be. They’d be replaced easily enough. But I dare to dream that it would be different if ever I should leave!

  Chapter 3

  The breakfast rush provided Annie with another busy, packed house the following day. A new girl had been added to her bedroom in the dorm, but today wasn’t going to be a good one for Annie to provide training for her. Rita did her best to fill in for that role, and she was much better at it anyway, as far as Annie was concerned. It took a chattier girl with more discipline to really give the new girls the best training. And Annie truly wanted all of the girls to receive the most detailed training possible, so there’d be no mistakes that could cost them customers or money.

  “Think of it this way,” she told the new girl, Melissa, when she was back in the dorm room on her short break. “You’re being trained by the best of us and you haven’t been thrown into the very busy environment yet. You’ve witnessed it, surely, but you haven’t actually had to serve your own tables yet. Your timing is quite impeccable.”

  Melissa smiled at her. She was sitting on the bed opposite Annie’s. She was a young girl – Annie guessed that she was about twenty – with long, dark brown hair and large, earnest blue eyes. She was going to have a tough time trying to fill the buckled shoes of the last girls who’d slept in that bed. But of course
, Annie would remain impartial and reserve her judgment in that regard. She wasn’t required to befriend every girl who came to the Stewart House, as long as she was friendly and cordial.

  “How long have you been working here?” Melissa asked her in a dreamy sort of voice. She was obviously swept up by all of this thus far. Every girl that arrived there seemed to start out that way.

  Annie smiled at her. “Oh, nearly a year by now,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve seen a lot of girls come and go from that very bed you’re sitting on.”

  Melissa tilted her head a bit, fixing her with a curious gaze. “What brought you here? I was on the train to meet a man who turned out to be a fraud, so I took heed of the advertisements and here I am. Did something similar happen to you?”

  Lightly closing her eyes, Annie tried to think about her answer in a way that was truthful but wouldn’t upset her or betray her innermost feelings right then and there to a girl who was practically a stranger. I’ve never told anyone the story, she thought. And I’m not about to now.

  “It was similar to your tale,” she said, opening her eyes. “I came out here on the train for love and a new life, but it didn’t work out for me. But I’ve become rather enamored with the Stewart House, so I suppose it’s all worked out for the best.”

  Melissa was giving her a sad look of empathy now. Annie wished that she wouldn’t, but at least the other girl hadn’t pressed her for more painful details. The way Annie saw it, the Stewart House had saved her life and though the contract was meant to last a year, she had every intention of letting it extend as long as Mr. Stewart wanted her around.

  “We’d best head back over to the eating house now,” Annie told the other girl, rising up out of her chair and tidying up her bow in the mirror before leaving the room. She went down the stairs, not pausing to wait for Melissa but soon sensed her walking behind anyway. She smiled a little. It was nice to have a little duckling following her around and learning from her again, even though it was far too busy in the eatery for her to really slow down and learn things at present. Right before they were inside the Stewart House, she turned to face Melissa and beamed at her a little. “Heed Miss De La Cruz’s instructions and watch me as I work and you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

  As soon as they arrived on the floor of the restaurant, Melissa went to Rita to receive further direction and then could sense Annie watching whenever she was nearby. Leading by example is the easiest way to teach these girls what’s what, she thought, pleased.

  The lunch rush wasn’t that busy, so she had more of a chance to show Melissa around and introduce her to a few new tasks that Rita had missed. “You can memorize the orders if you prefer,” she told Melissa in between checking on tables. “But I like to keep a notepad on hand just so I don’t make any mistakes. I’ve found that some of the older customers greatly appreciate it.”

  Melissa nodded. “That sounds good to me. I’m afraid my memory isn’t always the best. Especially when so many things have such similar-sounding names!”

  The two girls laughed pleasantly with each other. While enjoying this bit of spare time with the new waiter-girl, Annie looked out at the floor and noticed a familiar gentleman sitting alone at a table, his cowboy hat taking up the seat beside him.

  Annie immediately smiled, grateful to see the friendly face of a former customer. She strolled over to him right away, even though he wasn’t sitting at one of the tables that she was assigned to. “Hello there,” she said brightly.

  The young man looked up from his bowl of grits. He smiled back at Annie, a look of warm recognition in his sparkling gray eyes. “Why hello,” he said. “I was hoping I might find you here again.”

  Annie blushed a little. “Why wouldn’t you find me here? Did you think I’d lose my job?”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Oh no, no! I just know it gets busy here sometimes. You might’ve been off somewhere else, too.”

  She bit her lip a little bit as she smiled at him. “It sounds like you were trying to see me.”

  The gentleman looked down, embarrassed, though he was still smiling. “What would you say if I told you that I was?”

  Annie was immensely flattered by this. What a sweetheart, she thought. But surely this has more to do with my helpful service for him last time than anything else…

  “Well, that’s awfully kind of you, sir,” she said. “Your table’s not part of my rotation this lunchtime, but I will gladly fetch you anything you’d like since I’m over here already.”

  “Can you fetch me your name?” the man asked her, looking up from his bowl and right into her eyes.

  Annie batted her eyelashes, surprised to be asked such a thing and in such a way. Customers were always told her name upon coming into the restaurant and sitting down at one of her tables, but this time he wasn’t her customer and he’d likely forgotten her name from before. Surely that’s all this is.

  There seemed to be some urgency there in his eyes however, some hunger for information. He appeared rather lost to Annie, much like he had when he’d needed her help with reading his bill. Her heart went out to him.

  “It’s Annie,” she said brightly, continuing to smile her welcoming, warm smile at him. There was really nothing to telling a customer her name, since it went along with the job.

  But the man then shook his head a little bit. He smiled at her, but the look remained in his eyes. “What’s your full name?”

  Annie’s smile turned into a confused expression herself. Was he sent here by someone? she wondered. The question didn’t give her much confidence or much reason to answer his new question.

  “What’s yours?” she asked. She was beginning to wonder if she was supposed to know him. That didn’t seem all that likely though. After all, he didn’t say anything like this before. He didn’t ask my name last time. She feared that someone had asked him to come back and find her again. She hoped not, because she much preferred the sweetness of finding each other again versus him searching for her all along.

  The gentleman nodded his head a little. There was still a timidity about him. He didn’t seem to enjoy discussing things in this way; he still sounded and looked embarrassed with the way he averted his gaze from hers as soon as she asked him the same question. For a moment, neither of them spoke and the sounds of the restaurant were the only sounds Annie heard, mingling with the sound of her own thoughts. Then the young man looked her in the eyes again. “My name is Thackery Prescott,” he said.

  Now that she knew his name, she felt that there was no reason that she shouldn’t tell him hers, except that she was still a bit suspicious about his motives. It comes with the territory, I guess, she thought. Men had not exactly given her cause to trust them much, except for Mr. Stewart but he didn’t really count amongst the other men she’d interacted with.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said as a formality. She smiled at him a little and could feel the curious gazes of Rita and Melissa on her back as she stood there, speaking to him as an old friend instead of working. “My name is Miss Annie O’Brien.”

  The sound of Miss seemed to bring the sparkle back to his eyes. He smiled as well and bowed his head politely. “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss O’Brien… You’ve confirmed my suspicions, but I don’t want to keep you since you’re at work. Is there a time or a place we might be able to meet later on?”

  Annie’s heart was racing in her chest. She had no idea what his suspicions might be, and it scared her when she tried to guess at them. Should I do this? I suppose I wouldn’t have to go alone…

  “You can meet me after lunch gets out,” she told Mr. Prescott. “Which is only about an hour from now. Meet me outside the dormitory next door?” The squat building next to the restaurant was not difficult to find, and it contained parlors on the bottom level which were frequently used for gatherings and whenever the restaurant had an overflow. There would be nothing wrong with meeting Mr. Prescott there and finding out what he was there to speak to her about
.

  Annie knew that she must tread carefully, so having him meet her at a well-known place was a good, safe idea. The last thing she wanted was to do something which might cause scandal for Mr. Stewart. He liked his girls to remain proper at all times, especially when meeting gentlemen outside of work hours. Now the only question was who she could invite along with them, to keep things safe and proper?

  Chapter 4

  As soon as the slightly awkward conversation drew to a close, Annie made her way back over to her friends along the back corner of the room. Rita was watching over everything like a hawk and she fixed Annie with a curious head-tilting kind of look as soon as Annie arrived back there with them. “What was that all about?” she asked. “The gentleman was finding things to his liking, I hope?”

  Annie nodded. “Oh yes,” she replied. “I think he wants to speak with me in private later on.”

  “Oooh,” Melissa couldn’t help but squeal a bit.

  Annie rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. It wouldn’t do her any good to be rude when what she really needed was her friends to help her with this new situation that she found herself in. “It’s nothing like that,” she explained. “At least, I find that hard to believe considering I never met him before the other day here at the restaurant.”

  Rita’s eyebrows raised a little. “Oh?” She put her hands on her hips. “Well, in that case, may I suggest that you bring a friend along with you when you meet? It sounds to me like he’s taken quite an interest in you. I never thought I’d see the day Miss Annie O’Brien found a suitor. No offense.”

  Annie blushed profusely. “None taken,” she said in a meek voice. Everyone who works here knows that I’m not interested in a husband. But still, their eyes light up at the first sign of that sort of thing. It’s beyond frustrating! “As a matter of fact, I was thinking of asking Carrie to come along. I trust her to provide good judgment about that sort of thing…”