Robinson
"What are we making for lunch?" The thought of cooking
increased her outlook. She'd missed preparing meals and
creating new dishes. It had been her job for as long as she
could remember, but after Mother died and she'd moved to
Topeka with her father, his cook banned her from the kitchen.
Belinda had said it was unsightly for someone in her position
to be seen in an apron.
"Kid, I told you about him and Jessie," Ma started.
She nodded, remembering Kid as the oldest Quinter son.
He and his wife, Jessie, lived near Nixon, and had two
children, a boy and a girl, who Ma proclaimed to be the most
wonderful younguns on earth, besides the two the next
brother, Skeeter, and his wife, Lila, had.
"Well, he's got lots of cattle, so I have enough beef to feed
half the state. Thought we'd just fry up some potatoes to go
with it."
"Or I could make Beef Wellington." Randi's heart skipped a
beat. She hadn't made the dish in so long. It had always been
one of Mother's favorites, but they rarely had beef, chickens
had been their mainstay. That and whatever game she'd
managed to acquire. She pinched her lips together knowing
the thought had been unfair. Even after her father had
started to visit, their pantry hadn't increased. Belinda said
they shouldn't expect it either. She'd said politicians were like
preachers; they work for the people and didn't receive an
exuberant amount of money to feed their families.
"Uh? Beef what?" Ma stared at her with wide eyes.
Randi let her wandering thoughts float away and returned
to the conversation. "We don't have an oven, do we?"
68
Boot Hill Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"Nope, not yet. But knowing Hog the first room finished
will be the kitchen." Ma Quinter pointed toward the building
where men sawed and hammered.
Randi's feet stalled, and she gasped, shocked by the
transformation taking place before her eyes. "Oh, my. The
sides are almost all up. They certainly work quickly."
"Yup, when my boys set out to do something, they don't
waste their time." Ma tugged on her arm.
Randi fell in step beside the other woman, twisting every
once in awhile to catch sight of the massive building and the
men scrambling about. She tried hard to get a glimpse of
Howard, but Ma Quinter stormed forward like she was on her
way to a fire. Her quick glances did catch sight of Snake and
Bug, but not her husband. She held in the want to sigh loudly
and turned to Stephanie.
"Your sons certainly have interesting names."
Ma laughed. "Yup, their daddy did that. Gave them all nick
names and they stuck. The boys aren't always too fond of
them. Kid is really Kendell. Skeeter is Steven, Snake is Scott,
Hog is Howard, and Bug is Brett."
"Oh," Randi let the names sink in. Mother had always
called her Kitten. She'd said from the time Randi had been
born, she snuggled in like a kitten in her lap.
"So, what's the beef William stuff?"
It took Randi a moment to comprehend what the woman
meant. "Beef Wellington. It's beef baked inside a thin pastry.
It's quite delicious."
A very thoughtful look covered Ma Quinter's face. "Hmm, I
think things are gonna turn out better than I imagined."
69
Boot Hill Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Perplexed, Randi asked, "Excuse me?"
The bonnet on the other woman's head fluttered about as
she shook her head, and her shoulders hiked up and down a
few times before she said, "Nothing. So what else do you
know how to cook?"
"Oh, lots of things. My great-grandfather had a hotel and
restaurant in New York years ago, and when my mother was
a little girl she stayed with them. When she was ill she would
talk about all the fancy dishes they used to serve, so I
ordered some cookbooks and learned how to cook many of
them for her." The cookbooks were safely tucked inside her
carpet bags, the few things Belinda hadn't made her
destroy—only because she didn't know about them.
"You don't say?"
"Yes, I love to cook." They stopped outside Ma's tent
where
"What are we making for lunch?" The thought of cooking
increased her outlook. She'd missed preparing meals and
creating new dishes. It had been her job for as long as she
could remember, but after Mother died and she'd moved to
Topeka with her father, his cook banned her from the kitchen.
Belinda had said it was unsightly for someone in her position
to be seen in an apron.
"Kid, I told you about him and Jessie," Ma started.
She nodded, remembering Kid as the oldest Quinter son.
He and his wife, Jessie, lived near Nixon, and had two
children, a boy and a girl, who Ma proclaimed to be the most
wonderful younguns on earth, besides the two the next
brother, Skeeter, and his wife, Lila, had.
"Well, he's got lots of cattle, so I have enough beef to feed
half the state. Thought we'd just fry up some potatoes to go
with it."
"Or I could make Beef Wellington." Randi's heart skipped a
beat. She hadn't made the dish in so long. It had always been
one of Mother's favorites, but they rarely had beef, chickens
had been their mainstay. That and whatever game she'd
managed to acquire. She pinched her lips together knowing
the thought had been unfair. Even after her father had
started to visit, their pantry hadn't increased. Belinda said
they shouldn't expect it either. She'd said politicians were like
preachers; they work for the people and didn't receive an
exuberant amount of money to feed their families.
"Uh? Beef what?" Ma stared at her with wide eyes.
Randi let her wandering thoughts float away and returned
to the conversation. "We don't have an oven, do we?"
68
Boot Hill Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"Nope, not yet. But knowing Hog the first room finished
will be the kitchen." Ma Quinter pointed toward the building
where men sawed and hammered.
Randi's feet stalled, and she gasped, shocked by the
transformation taking place before her eyes. "Oh, my. The
sides are almost all up. They certainly work quickly."
"Yup, when my boys set out to do something, they don't
waste their time." Ma tugged on her arm.
Randi fell in step beside the other woman, twisting every
once in awhile to catch sight of the massive building and the
men scrambling about. She tried hard to get a glimpse of
Howard, but Ma Quinter stormed forward like she was on her
way to a fire. Her quick glances did catch sight of Snake and
Bug, but not her husband. She held in the want to sigh loudly
and turned to Stephanie.
"Your sons certainly have interesting names."
Ma laughed. "Yup, their daddy did that. Gave them all nick
names and they stuck. The boys aren't always too fond of
them. Kid is really Kendell. Skeeter is Steven, Snake is Scott,
Hog is Howard, and Bug is Brett."
"Oh," Randi let the names sink in. Mother had always
called her Kitten. She'd said from the time Randi had been
born, she snuggled in like a kitten in her lap.
"So, what's the beef William stuff?"
It took Randi a moment to comprehend what the woman
meant. "Beef Wellington. It's beef baked inside a thin pastry.
It's quite delicious."
A very thoughtful look covered Ma Quinter's face. "Hmm, I
think things are gonna turn out better than I imagined."
69
Boot Hill Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Perplexed, Randi asked, "Excuse me?"
The bonnet on the other woman's head fluttered about as
she shook her head, and her shoulders hiked up and down a
few times before she said, "Nothing. So what else do you
know how to cook?"
"Oh, lots of things. My great-grandfather had a hotel and
restaurant in New York years ago, and when my mother was
a little girl she stayed with them. When she was ill she would
talk about all the fancy dishes they used to serve, so I
ordered some cookbooks and learned how to cook many of
them for her." The cookbooks were safely tucked inside her
carpet bags, the few things Belinda hadn't made her
destroy—only because she didn't know about them.
"You don't say?"
"Yes, I love to cook." They stopped outside Ma's tent
where
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