Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats #1)(23)
Author: Shanna Hatfield

“Not at all, fair lady,” Ashton said, taking her elbow and walking her up the porch steps so they could sit on two chairs by the door. “I did hear you’d purchased sheep and thought I’d stop by to make sure everything was going well. I know your hands, particularly Fred, aren’t fond of the animals.”

“That is a fact,” Aundy said with a smile.

Ashton laughed and launched into a conversation about interesting things he’d seen on his last trip out of town. Forgetting her work and troubles for a few minutes, Aundy was caught up in Ashton’s tales until she noticed Nik come around the corner of the house carrying Butter.

Getting to her feet, Aundy hurried down the steps and took the lamb from the boy. “Nik, this is one of our neighbors, Mr. Ashton Monroe. Ashton, this is Nikola, my shepherd.”

“Nikola. Sounds like a foreign name. Are you not from around here?” Ashton asked, turning a probing gaze to Nik.

“No, sir,” Nik said, looking at the man before him with a disinterested gaze.

“Well, Mrs. Erickson, I won’t detain you from your duties any longer this morning,” Ashton said, putting his hat on his head and stepping away from Aundy and the lamb. “Enjoy your day.”

“Thank you, Mr. Monroe. I plan to,” Aundy said, largely ignoring her departing company as she scratched Butter behind his ears. The lamb leaned his little head against her chest and Aundy thought she heard him release a contented sigh.

“Time to feed this one?” she asked Nik. They’d tried to get one of the ewes to take the orphaned lamb, but none of them seemed interested in feeding the hungry baby. Nik suggested they bottle-feed him. Dent found a baby bottle Erik had used with a runt piglet the previous year and they were able to keep Butter fed with it.

“Yes, ma’am. He let me know he was nearly starving,” Nik said, pointing to slobbers on his pant leg. “He’s hungry enough to eat anything that doesn’t run away from him.”

Laughing, Aundy set down the lamb. She and Nik fed him then the boy started to pick up Butter to take him back to the flock.

“You can leave him here, if you like,” Aundy said, pointing to a grassy spot in the shade of a tree in the yard. We’ll close the gate on the yard and he should be fine, don’t you think?”

“He might make a mess of your flower beds or yard,” Nik said, shaking his head. “I think I should take him back.”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. If he causes too much trouble, I’ll bring him out to you,” Aundy said, realizing it was close to time for lunch. “Would you like to eat lunch with me before you go back out?”

“Are you sure, ma’am? I don’t want to leave Bob in charge for too long,” Nik said, glancing toward the pasture where his dog kept watch over the sheep.

“It will just take a moment to make sandwiches,” Aundy said, motioning to the lamb. “Why don’t you wash up and I’ll bring the food out here. We can eat on the porch and keep an eye on Butter.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nik said with a broad smile, heading around to the pump on the side of the house.

Returning with a tray laden with sandwiches, glasses of milk and cookies, she asked a blessing on the food then she and Nik talked while they ate. She asked his thoughts on the hands who wanted to work for her. Nik said he liked them and they always worked hard for Mr. O’Connell. They were used to working around the sheep, so they could help out as needed.

Appreciating his honesty, Aundy was grateful the men would be arriving that evening. Her hands were doing more than their share as it was and she knew she needed to hire someone to cook for them. She didn’t want to be tied to the kitchen and it was going to be impossible to learn to manage the farm if she was the one who was making two big meals a day for the men.

Deciding to place an ad for a cook in the newspaper, since her other advertisement was for farm hands, she hoped someone would respond to it. If not, she was going to have to resign herself to cooking for the men.

“Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Erickson,” Nik said, taking one more cookie and gulping down the last of his milk. He carried the tray inside the house for her, then followed her outside to gather up Butter and take him back to the flock for the afternoon.

Aundy waved at Nik as he whistled his way back to the sheep. She was counting her blessings over his arrival. Although he’d spent the last four years without any parental guidance, he was a sweet boy with a positive outlook on life. It was hard not to smile when you heard his happy whistle floating out on the breeze.

Washing the few lunch dishes, Aundy changed into a riding skirt and shirtwaist with a light jacket. Taking down her hair and braiding it, she tied a ribbon on the end, pulled on her boots and ran out the kitchen door to the barn, carrying a basket of cookies.

Saddling Bell, Aundy waved to George who was working on a fence near the barn and headed toward the road, urging the horse to go faster. Turning up the lane to Nash’s Folly, Aundy rode past the house and dismounted. Walking Bell to the barn, Aundy was greeted by one of the hands, who took the horse from her and told her to go on to the house.

Aundy was raising her hand to knock on the kitchen door when it swung open and Nora greeted her with a cheery smile.

“How is the shepherdess?” Nora teased.

“Fine,” Aundy said, setting her basket on the table and removing her jacket, leaving it on a peg by the back door. “How’s Mr. Hong?”

“Doing much better,” Nora smiled, peeking in the basket and taking out a cookie. “He insists we call him Li, or the very least Hong, but no mister.”

“Oh,” Aundy said, looking around Nora’s tidy kitchen. The smells of a roast cooking filled the air with a rich, beefy scent. She realized she should have put something in the oven for supper before she left.

“What’s that look for?” Nora asked, catching the frown that passed across Aundy’s face.

“I need to hire a cook for the men. They’ve been taking turns, but they are so busy I’ve started cooking two meals for them. I can’t learn what I need to about farming and cook for them all, too. I don’t know what to do.”

“Why don’t you put another advertisement in the newspaper and post a notice at the post office?” Nora asked, walking with Aundy toward the room where Li Hong was staying.

“I can, but it didn’t work very well the last time.”

“I know, honey, but maybe someone new is in town who’d like to cook for you, or maybe someone’s situation has changed and they need a job,” Nora said as they walked into the room to find Li sitting up in bed, looking much improved. Although his eye was still swollen and bruised, he had it open a slit.

“Hello, Mr. Hong,” Aundy said, standing at the foot of the bed. “I wanted to see how you’re doing today.”

“Better,” Li said, nodding his head at Aundy and trying to smile. “Call me Li.”

“Okay, Li, but only if you call me Aundy.”

The man smiled and tried to say her name, which sounded like Audee.

Grinning, Aundy nodded her head.

“You need cook?” Li asked, having heard most of the conversation the women were having on their way to his room. Although he spoke some English, he understood far more than he could say.

“Yes, I do need a cook. Do you know one?” Aundy cast a hopeful gaze his direction.

“Me.”

“You? Oh, well, I…”

“I can cook. Good cook. Make good things,” Li said, nodding his head so enthusiastically, Aundy was afraid he’d make his injuries worse.

“What can you cook?” Aundy asked, knowing her men would not be excited at the prospect of eating Chinese food on a regular basis.

“Anything. Everything. Li good cook,” the man said, grinning at the women. “Need job, you need cook.” He pointed at Aundy.

“Can you make meat and potatoes? Biscuits? Bacon and eggs?”

“Yes. Cook American food,” Li said, waving his hands to emphasize his words. “I cook anything.”

Aundy looked at Nora who shrugged her shoulders.

“How about this, Li. You get well and we’ll see about trying you out as a cook. If the men don’t complain, you can stay. Does that sound fair?”

“Yes,” Li said, grinning broadly, at least as broadly as he could with his wounded face.

“You work on getting well, then, because we are in dire need of a cook,” Aundy said, smiling kindly at the man. She had a good feeling about him, even if he hadn’t exposed who beat him or what happened.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, although you might not thank me after you meet the hungry men at my place,” Aundy laughed as she and Nora went back to the kitchen.

They visited for a while and Nora wrote down Aundy’s cookie recipe. Taking the cookies out of the basket and putting them on a plate, she put a wrapped loaf of fresh bread in Aundy’s basket and held her jacket while she slipped it on.

“You should come see the sheep, Nora. We have one baby we’re bottle-feeding and he’s adorable. I named him Butter,” Aundy said as she prepared to go out the door.

“I’ll be over one day soon, honey. If you need anything, though, you let us know,” Nora said as she walked Aundy down the back steps.

“I will. Thank you,” Aundy said, hugging her friend before hurrying out to the barn. No one was around when she walked in, so she located Bell and was just ready to lead the horse outside to mount when Garrett walked in the door, almost bumping into her.

“Well, hello,” Garrett said, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep from wrapping his arms around Aundy and kissing her. “What brings you by today?”

“I wanted to check on Li and I brought over some cookies for Nora to try. I was experimenting with a recipe and wanted her opinion.”

“Cookies?” Garrett asked, perking up at that tidbit of information. Aundy made the best cookies. He’d have to find an excuse to run in the house and grab some before his dad ate them all.

“You’re worse than a child,” Aundy said with a laugh that resonated from Garrett’s ears all the way down to the bottom of his heart, making him smile.

“Maybe,” he said, walking with her across the barnyard. “How are things going today? The sheep settled in? Nik doing fine?”

“Yes. Nik is such a sweet boy and the sheep seem so docile. Fred has decided to stay, for now, and the two new hands should be there this evening. Other than some unexpected visitors this morning, everything is fine.”

“Unexpected visitors?” Garrett asked.

“Nothing to worry about,” Aundy said, although Marvin Tooley’s threats had her worried and a little nervous. Would he really do something to her sheep? She seriously doubted it. “I better get home, though.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were here sooner. I’d have come in while you were visiting Ma,” Garrett said, placing his hands on her waist and lifting her to the saddle. Aundy would have voiced her ability to get herself on the back of Bell without his assistance, but she liked the feel of his hands on her waist too much to protest.

“Then I wouldn’t have gotten to visit with Nora and she wouldn’t have been able to tell me what a naughty little boy you were,” Aundy teased.

“Were? I thought the two of you decided weeks ago I’m still a naughty boy,” Garrett said, giving Aundy a devilish grin that made heat climb up her neck.

“You’re impossible,” Aundy said, shaking her head and laughing again.

“That I am,” Garrett said, admiring the riding skirt she was wearing and the way she sat on the horse as she started down the lane. “I’ll see you later, Aundy.”

Aundy waved and urged Bell into a canter.

Racing the horse home as fast as she dared, she hurried in the house after brushing down Bell and giving her a portion of her evening feed. Changing back into her dress and tying on a clean apron, she set about preparing dinner for the men. Dent and the hands were out doing fieldwork and would be exhausted when they came in. Aundy told Dent that morning to bring in everyone for the evening meal.

She had two hours before the men would descend. Working quickly, Aundy was dishing up the food when the sound of boots outside the kitchen door let her know the men were right on time. They came in, laughing and teasing each other, although they weren’t rowdy.

Smiling at their good-natured ribbing, Aundy scooped the last of the mashed potatoes into a bowl when a loud knock sounded from the front door.

“Should I get that, Missy?” Dent asked. At Aundy’s nod, he walked to the door. Aundy heard low voices then footsteps approaching the kitchen. Her new hands arrived, in time to eat. It was a good thing she’d prepared plenty of food.

“Bill, would you put two more plates on the table, please?” Aundy asked, finding more silverware and coffee mugs for the new arrivals. Turning to the newly hired men, she offered them a warm smile. “Welcome, gentleman. You’re just in time for supper.”

“We didn’t mean to intrude, ma’am,” the taller of the two said. They’d both already removed their hats and stood looking with both hunger and uncertainty at the loaded table.

“No intrusion,” Aundy said, motioning to the table. “Glen, if you and George could carry in a couple of chairs from the dining room, we should be able to squeeze everyone in.”

Wiping her hands on her apron, Aundy approached her newest employees. “Please, tell me your names again. I apologize, but in all the excitement yesterday, I seem to have forgotten.”

“That’s okay, ma’am,” the shorter one said, his brown eyes filled with humor. “It was kind of hard to hear yourself think with all the hubbub going on. I’m Lem Perkins and this is Hank Lawson.”