Read Online Love Finds You in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell - Free Book Online
Authors: Miralee Ferrell
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clasped her hands in her lap, her face relaxing out of its harsh lines. “Too bad. I’m sorry you lost your missus.” Her tone turned brisk. “I serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you can have a room with two beds, if you’d prefer, or one full-sized instead. I have five rooms to let, with three of them filled. No smoking in the house, no chewing or spitting, no swearing or taking the Lord’s name in vain, no drinking, and no lady friends in your room. That clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sat up straight. She didn’t seem to mind that he’d used “ma’am” this time. “How much does each room cost?”
Her posture relaxed. “The room with one bed is cheaper, as there’s less linen to care for. It’s eight dollars a week, and the room with two beds is nine. That includes board. I won’t charge you any extra for your little man since he won’t eat much. ’Course, you can save a little if you pay by the month.” She reached out and patted his hand. “Don’t mind me, son. My bark is worse than my bite, although I don’t tell everybody that. Pays to keep them guessing, know what I mean?” The hazel eyes twinkled and a small smile softened the strict lines of her face.
He grinned at the perky little woman. “I reckon I do. Don’t worry, I won’t give away your secret.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “One bed is fine. I’d better get Toby up to our room where he can get a proper nap. Would you have any place I might give him a bath? I’m afraid it’s been awhile since either of us have cleaned up proper.”
“I do. I have a big washtub in the shed off the back of the house. I’ll heat water on the stove, and when you’re ready, you say the word. You can pack the hot water outside and draw cold water from the well and make you a right fine soaking bath.”
She walked to the back door of the kitchen and pulled it open, stepped outside, and pointed a few yards down the porch. “Right back there is the tub, in that little room on the end, and back yonder”—she beckoned across the small yard to where a small, circular brick wall sat, a wooden framework above it—“is the well. I’d let you pump it here in the kitchen, but it’s faster to draw out a bucket and dump it into the tub.”
Justin nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Miss Alice. I haven’t had a sitdown bath for longer than I can remember. Toby’ll think he’s in heaven.”
“Come on. You can bundle up the child and I’ll take you to your room. You’ll meet the other boarders at dinner.” She started to exit the room then swung back around and raised her hand. “One more thing—visitors are allowed in the parlor.”
“Yes, ma’am. But I don’t intend to have any visitors.” A vision of the brown-haired girl at the church rose in Justin’s mind, but he pushed it back down. He’d been down that road once before and found little to recommend it. No, a hired woman willing to care for his son while he worked would be the best thing for Toby. A wife wasn’t in the picture.
He followed Miss Alice back to the parlor, a feeling of relief sitting firm in his chest. Rest. He’d almost forgotten what it felt like.
Chapter Six
Alex peeked through the small, dirty pane of glass next to the door of the assayer’s office. Seeing no one, she pushed the door open then stepped over the threshold into the dimly lit room. In a building this small, kerosene light and a tiny window had to suffice. Lumber was easy to come by with the mill just outside of town, but windows were scare.
Her gaze drifted from the cluttered desk to the rough-hewn shelves covering one wall. An empty chair rested a few feet from the worktable, which was strewn with ore samples. Instruments lay where their owner had dropped them, and silence blanketed the room.
It didn’t appear as though Samuel would be gone long, with the room unlocked and in disarray and his assistant, Fred, nowhere in sight. But still, Alex didn’t like to wait. She wanted
“Yes, ma’am.” He sat up straight. She didn’t seem to mind that he’d used “ma’am” this time. “How much does each room cost?”
Her posture relaxed. “The room with one bed is cheaper, as there’s less linen to care for. It’s eight dollars a week, and the room with two beds is nine. That includes board. I won’t charge you any extra for your little man since he won’t eat much. ’Course, you can save a little if you pay by the month.” She reached out and patted his hand. “Don’t mind me, son. My bark is worse than my bite, although I don’t tell everybody that. Pays to keep them guessing, know what I mean?” The hazel eyes twinkled and a small smile softened the strict lines of her face.
He grinned at the perky little woman. “I reckon I do. Don’t worry, I won’t give away your secret.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “One bed is fine. I’d better get Toby up to our room where he can get a proper nap. Would you have any place I might give him a bath? I’m afraid it’s been awhile since either of us have cleaned up proper.”
“I do. I have a big washtub in the shed off the back of the house. I’ll heat water on the stove, and when you’re ready, you say the word. You can pack the hot water outside and draw cold water from the well and make you a right fine soaking bath.”
She walked to the back door of the kitchen and pulled it open, stepped outside, and pointed a few yards down the porch. “Right back there is the tub, in that little room on the end, and back yonder”—she beckoned across the small yard to where a small, circular brick wall sat, a wooden framework above it—“is the well. I’d let you pump it here in the kitchen, but it’s faster to draw out a bucket and dump it into the tub.”
Justin nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Miss Alice. I haven’t had a sitdown bath for longer than I can remember. Toby’ll think he’s in heaven.”
“Come on. You can bundle up the child and I’ll take you to your room. You’ll meet the other boarders at dinner.” She started to exit the room then swung back around and raised her hand. “One more thing—visitors are allowed in the parlor.”
“Yes, ma’am. But I don’t intend to have any visitors.” A vision of the brown-haired girl at the church rose in Justin’s mind, but he pushed it back down. He’d been down that road once before and found little to recommend it. No, a hired woman willing to care for his son while he worked would be the best thing for Toby. A wife wasn’t in the picture.
He followed Miss Alice back to the parlor, a feeling of relief sitting firm in his chest. Rest. He’d almost forgotten what it felt like.
Chapter Six
Alex peeked through the small, dirty pane of glass next to the door of the assayer’s office. Seeing no one, she pushed the door open then stepped over the threshold into the dimly lit room. In a building this small, kerosene light and a tiny window had to suffice. Lumber was easy to come by with the mill just outside of town, but windows were scare.
Her gaze drifted from the cluttered desk to the rough-hewn shelves covering one wall. An empty chair rested a few feet from the worktable, which was strewn with ore samples. Instruments lay where their owner had dropped them, and silence blanketed the room.
It didn’t appear as though Samuel would be gone long, with the room unlocked and in disarray and his assistant, Fred, nowhere in sight. But still, Alex didn’t like to wait. She wanted
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