Chapter Seven
Agnes couldn’t believehow much fun they had the next day.She outlined what she was looking for in the smokehouse, and the men went off to take care of it.She and the other ladies worked on making the net, speaking of things that had happened at the hotel, their childhoods, what they loved most about being married, and Alaska.Everything seemed to always come back to Alaska.
After their noon meal, the men took her out and showed her the new smokehouse.It was just what she’d been looking for, and she was excited to use it.They attached the nets to poles, and she was ready to start part of her duties for the enterprise her friends had started.
“I can’t believe it was all finished so quickly,” Agnes said as the others got ready to go home.
“We work hard when it means more food for the winter,” Everett said with a smile.
“And we work hard when we know it will please our ladies,” Tom added.This was the first time she’d met the men other than Jasper, and she found she liked them all a great deal.Tom seemed like he loved Sally with all his heart, which pleased Agnes a great deal.It was good that she’d married someone who was loving.
“We’ll be back next weekend to build a barn for those goats you have coming in.Jasper said you’re going to try your hand at making goat cheese, and I’m excited to hear it.”James patted his belly.“I do like cheese.”
“I hope I can do it justice,” Agnes said with a smile.
“If we have anything to base those hopes on, I have to say, that gingerbread cake was delicious,” Everett said.“You’ll have to give Belle the receipt.”
“I’d love to have it,” Belle said, “but I won’t sell it at the store.It’s your receipt.You should sell it.Bake several small ones, wrap them in cloth, and take them to the store.Katie would return your cloth the next day, and you’d have more money in your pocket.”
“It’s hard for me to believe that the men are that excited for anything sweet...”Agnes said with a frown.
Everett laughed.“The men in this town are so excited to have sweets again.You ladies could charge double or triple what you do, and the shelves would still be bare at the end of the day.”
“I’d feel like I was taking advantage of Katie!”Agnes said.
Belle shook her head.“Katie keeps a portion of each sale.She earns money from our hard work.She practically begs for us to do more, but we have too many other things that need to be taken care of to devote that much time to baking.Truly, I think the next woman who comes here to marry should open a bakery.She wouldn’t have to sell, because Katie would do that.She’d just have to bake.”
“Hopefully someone will do that,” James said.“Maggie needs to do less now that our baby is almost here.”Belle could tell he was excited about the baby by the way he looked at Maggie and draped an arm around her shoulders.
Maggie walked to the door.“Let’s go home, and I’ll feed you,” she said to James.
“Man, I do love hearing those words.”James grinned at Maggie and kissed her nose.
For a second, Agnes was startled by the public display of affection, but she understood that social niceties were not as strict in their frontier town as they had been back in Massachusetts.
As the others left, Agnes turned to Jasper.“I had so much fun today!”
Jasper laughed.“You’ll have as much fun when we do this again next week.Lunch was wonderful.All the other men were raving about how good it was.”He tilted his head to one side, studying her for a moment.“I think you may be a keeper.”
She giggled, walking closer to him and wrapping both arms around his middle.I hope so.I think you’re a keeper as well.”
He took her out and showed her the nets and how they’d hung them.It was so much like Sally’s set up that she knew it would be relatively easy for her to master her craft.“Do you like it?”he asked.
She nodded.“Absolutely.It’s going to be fun trying to keep up with the fish, I think.”
“I know it will be.”Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, they headed back into the house.“Are you going to feed me supper?”
“I’ve already fed you twice today.You don’t mean to say you expect three meals per day?That’s excessive.”
He chuckled.“Let’s just have what’s left of that lunch you made.”
“Sounds good to me.I think next week, I’ll plan to send a gingerbread cake home with each of the couples.And I may spend tomorrow baking more of them and try selling them.Why not?I enjoy baking, and we have what we need to make them.”
“Just save a little bit of your time and energy for your husband,” he said.“I get first pick of the cakes.”
“You don’t need a whole cake!”she said sternly.
“Then I’ll go to the store and buy one.You can’t stop me.”
