“What are we going to have for supper tonight?”he asked.
“Fried duck.I don’t want to use the chickens Belle gave us yet, and I can’t help but wonder how good the duck will be if I fry it as I would a chicken.And I’m going to make mashed potatoes...not Eskimo potatoes either.I’m making the russets Katie gave me from her garden.”
“That sounds really good!”
“I hope it is.”
When they got home, she got to work cooking their supper right away, while James worked on the rabbit.“I’m close to finishing this one.”
“What will you do with it?”she asked.
“Do you really think I could make money selling my carvings?”James seemed a bit nervous asking.
“I really do.Would you like me to write to Elizabeth and see if she knows anything about it?If she doesn’t, she’ll learn.She’s a wonderful person.”Maggie turned away from the stove and looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction.
“Yes, I would like you to do that if you don’t mind.”
“I promised Elizabeth I’d stay in touch, so I’ll write her a letter and include the question.Oh, and I meant to talk to you about one of the girls who Belle and I used to work with.She wants to move here and marry as well.Do you know of anyone who would like a mail-order bride?”
He laughed.“I could go to work, close my eyes and point, and there would be no danger of me finding a man who didn’t want a bride.”
She smiled, imagining the scene as he described it.“Well, pick someone out and tell him to write to Elizabeth!”
“I’ll do that.I know Everett had the address posted, but someone took it.I’ll post it on the wall again.Hopefully, it won’t be stolen this time.”
“Maybe I’ll write out several papers with her address and you can hang them all from the same nail.Then men can take one if they’d like.”
“Not a bad idea at all.”
He finished the rabbit right before supper.“I think it’s done.Tell me what you think.”
Maggie put down the plates she’d been about to carry to the table and hurried over to look at his rabbit.“Oh, James.It’s perfect!It looks like it’s going to jump right out of my hand!”
“That’s what I was hoping for.You keep that one.”
Maggie looked at him for a moment before clutching the small rabbit to her chest.“Do you mean it?”
He laughed.“It’s just a piece of woo
“It’s so much more than that.I will always treasure this.”
He shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with how excited she was by it.“Is it time to eat yet?”he asked.
With tears prickling her eyes, she hurried back to the counter where she’d set the plates and carried them to the table.“I hope it turned out all right.”
“I’m sure it did.”He looked at the mashed potatoes.“These look delicious.And you made gravy!”
“Shouldn’t I make gravy?”she asked, confused.
“Yes, I love gravy.You’re a much better cook than I expected you to be!”
She shrugged.“I try.”
