There was no doubt in his mind he was going to like having her here. And that was the last thing he should be thinking.
~*~
After taking all the supplies into the house, Noah left her to it. He had far to much to do, he’d said. He had lost several hours already, not that he’d blamed her. He made sure she knew how truly grateful he was to her for stepping up to marry him, sight unseen.
“Mrs Hathaway vouched for you,” she told him. “That was enough for me. She’s a lovely lady. Trustworthy too.” Mary was more than grateful to the woman, and could never repay her for her generosity. Even if she was only promised a year in this wonderful cabin.
She made herself a promise right there and then, never to return to her father’s property. She’d only been here a short time, and already felt rich. Mary swallowed. Did she really want to leave after a year? But that was the contract she’d signed. Stay married to Noah for one year, and receive a nice stipend for her trouble.
It was enough to set her up for life, to get her on track when he set her free.
She opened all the cupboard doors in the kitchen, deciding where to store what items. She had never seen so much food before in her life. Even when Mother was alive, they lived hand to mouth on a daily basis. Mary had never known any different. She packed everything away, then thought about what she would make for supper. With all this produce and other food items, she was in heaven. No more boiling bones for days on end to make a meal from nothing. Not that she intended to waste food – that would never do. But to know what she cooked would actually fill her husband’s belly, and hers, was satisfaction itself.
The first thing she did after packing everything away, was put pots of water on to boil. Noah said she could take a bath any time she wanted, and by golly, she wanted one right now. Mary bit her lip. That felt so selfish when surely there was plenty to be done.
Instead she began cleaning the house. It wasn’t filthy, but it wasn’t as clean as it would have been if she’d been living here before. After washing all the floors, she wiped down all the counter tops, the table, and cleaned the bathroom. She also stripped the beds of their sheets and replaced them with fresh sheets. Tomorrow she would wash them all.
By the time she finished, it was time to make supper.
She began by making a batch of biscuits. It had been ages since she’d made them, simply because they’d run out of flour and Father refused to allow her to put anything on credit at the mercantile. Never had food been at her fingertips like it was now. But would that always be the case? Perhaps she shouldn’t get comfortable with the situation, because you really never did know.
Glancing out the window, she noticed Noah riding in from across the paddock. That meant she didn’t have long to prepare his supper. She carefully sliced the bacon and put it in the frying pan, then cracked eggs in the pan next to it. Mary had no idea how big an eater Noah was, although he put away that big meal at lunch. She cooked four eggs for him and one for herself.
It was pleasing to have fresh bread, and not have to worry about how old the bread was.
She cooked the toast on the fire, and by the time Noah had cleaned up, his meal was ready. She placed the biscuits in the center of the table, with a small plate of butter next to it. His coffee was already waiting for him, and she served his meal the moment he sat down.
“This looks amazing, Mary,” he said. “I’m not used to this sort of supper.”
She felt warm all over. “It’s not much,” she said. “Tomorrow I can make stew since I’ll have more time.” She shrugged as he reached for a biscuit.
“Please sit down, you’re making me nervous,” he said, taking a mouthful of the still-warm biscuits. “You’re an amazing cook, Mrs Adams,” he said with a grin. He pulled the biscuit away from his mouth and studied it. “These are different.”
“They’re cheese biscuits,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy cooking real food for you.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back.
“Real food?”
“You…” How much should she tell him? “You have lots of ingredients. I didn’t have those back home.”
He nodded thoughtfully, and took another mouthful of the biscuit. “Either way, they’re delicious. I am certain of one thing – I’m going to enjoy your cooking.”
This man was so kind. She already didn’t want to leave, let alone after twelve months. Mary vowed to put her despair aside. She had signed a contract to leave in one year, and that’s exactly what she needed to do. Whether she wanted to or not.
Chapter Three
Noah helped Mary dry their supper dishes. She was exhausted, he could see it all over her face. “Did you enjoy your bath?” he suddenly asked, remembering their earlier conversation.
She shook her head. She didn’t enjoy her bath?
“I didn’t have one. I decided to clean the house instead.”
“But you were looking forward to a bath.” Why did she clean instead of relaxing? Unless… please Lord no. It was looking more and more as though Mary had been treated more like a slave than a daughter. She hadn’t said much except to say she looked after her father. What kind of father treats his child in such a way?
He dried the last of the dishes, then insisted she have a bath.
