Page 9 of The Ranger

“Two, that’s enough. The men will go for the potatoes and gravy, you know that.”

Mama smiled at Maida. “Let that be a lesson to you. Men do love their potatoes and gravy. Which reminds me, you should make the gravy as well.”

Maida nodded. “Okay.” She’d been cooking more and thought she was a fair cook but didn’t miss the fact her mother and grandmother were trying to get her to perfect certain dishes. Now that she was of marriable age, they’d suddenly had her doing all sorts of new things, and not just in the kitchen. Like taking stock of the ranch’s ledgers and reading up on how to run a large household, complete with servants. Considering she knew her father didn’t want an arranged marriage for her, she thought it odd. Why learn how to run a big fancy household when she had no intention of ever leaving Clear Creek? It didn’t make sense, and she began to wonder if there was something her parents and grandparents weren’t telling her.

3

Maida awoke the next day feeling better than she had all week. She chalked it up to having less people for dinner and a fun time at Uncle Colin and Aunt Belle’s house. The gathering was small. Susara and Logan were the only others in attendance. None of their sons and daughters-in-law where there. All of which lived on the ranch but had their own houses on different parts of Cooke land. Nor did her cousin Sam and his wife Lottie come. They also lived on the ranch.

She realized that the bigger gatherings, though fun, were exhausting, and lately she didn’t have as much energy as she usually did, as if the loneliness plaguing her was draining it away. Could it? Maybe she should talk to Doc Drake, but if she did that and her parents found out, they’d probably put her on bedrest, and she didn’t want to do that. Her parents were the worst worriers. In fact, they were almost as bad as Grandpa Harrison. He was horrible and drove her grandmother crazy with his fretting.

Maida went downstairs and was put in charge of making scrambled eggs. She got to work and contemplated sneaking a forkful of fried potatoes when Grandma Sadie entered the kitchen. “I’d best start the bacon. Where’s your mother?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she went back upstairs.”

Grandma nodded then gave her a funny look. “Maida, darling, are you feeling all right?”

“Yes, why?” She cracked an egg into a bowl, then reached for another.

“I just thought I’d ask. You look tired.”

She glanced her way then shrugged. “I feel fine.” Okay, she’d take a ride into Clear Creek and stop by Grandma Waller’s house. She and her husband Doc, the aged doctor that came west with Maida’s great grandmother Honoria, would be there, and she could always bring up her lack of energy in conversation. Then she wouldn’t have to see the town’s younger doctor. Doc Drake would ferret things out of her then tell her parents. Doc Waller, not so much.

“I think I’ll go to town today and get your sugar,” she announced.

Grandma Sadie spun to her. “Thank you. That saves me a trip. Could you pick up some cinnamon too?”

“Of course.” She smiled as she beat the eggs, then added a little salt and pepper. The trick was to get the advice or information she needed, without her parents or grandparents finding out. Then she could live in peace and not have the four constantly hovering over her asking what was wrong.

Breakfast was a quiet affair and consisted of just her family and grandparents. That was fine with her. It meant less dishes, and she could leave for town right after the morning mending was done.

She worked quickly and made a small list of things Mama wanted her to get. Some blue thread, white ribbon, and could she see if Irene had any honey? Erwin Brown and his wife Aideen had bees now and sold the honey in Dunnigan’s Mercantile.

When the mending was done, she hitched up the buggy and headed to town. She enjoyed driving and took her time.

The truth was, she enjoyed being alone. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince herself she could live a spinster’s life, or if she just liked solitude. When she got hit with big pangs of loneliness, she thought of having a home of her own, children, and a loving husband. But the reality was, there were no men in Clear Creek she was interested in. Every time she saw them in church or ran across them in town, the thought of a romantic relationship didn’t enter her mind. It was as if her heart knew of someone, but she hadn’t run across him yet.

When she reached town, she went to the mercantile first. Once she picked up supplies, she could trundle across the street and pay Grandma Waller a visit.

“Well, Maida,” Wilfred greeted when she entered. “How are you?”

She smiled at the old man. Wilfred and Irene Dunnigan, along with Grandma and Doc Waller, were old. Real old. Yet the odd thing was, sometimes they seemed to have more energy than her parents. There were a couple of other older couples in Clear Creek that were blessed with the same energy the Wallers and Dunnigans had. Cyrus Van Cleet and his wife Polly. And Paddy Mulligan and his wife Mary. The latter owned the saloon in town, and the Van Cleet’s owned the hotel.

“Maida?” Wilfred prompted.

“I’m sorry. Here’s my list. Grandma Sadie forgot the sugar yesterday when she was here.”

“That’s because she was flapping her gums with Irene and Grandma.” He chuckled, took the list, then began to gather the items.

Maida peered out the front windows at the Wallers’ home just up the street. “Speaking of Grandma, I think I’ll pay her a visit. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Wilfred called from behind the counter. “Have yourself a nice visit.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dunnigan.” She left the mercantile and stopped up short when she spied Doc Drake and his wife Elsie climb into his buggy and head off. They were heading south out of town, probably to visit some of the outlying farms and ranches and didn’t notice her. Whew! If Doc Drake happened to be there, he might join the conversation and then want to examine her. She was curious about what loneliness could do to a person. She didn’t need an examination.

She meandered across the street to the Wallers’ home, knocked on the door and waited. Grandma opened the door and smiled. “Well, now. What brings you here, child?” She opened the door wide. “Come in.”

Maida stepped inside. “I came to town to get a few things and thought I’d pay you a visit.”