RNWMP: Kendall (Mail Order Mounties Book 1), Page 3

  3

  JoAnn couldn’t stop looking at Kendall as they walked to back to his cabin. She had no idea where Jess and Miss Hazel had disappeared to, and she didn’t care. Her mind was on her new husband and nothing else.

  When they got into the cabin, he stopped inside the door, smiling at her. “Do you want to finish baking the bread?”

  JoAnn was startled. She had forgotten putting food on the table was her job in her confusion. There was something about the man that made her brain turn into mush, and she wasn’t quite certain what to do about it.

  He walked over to his guitar and carefully strummed it, adjusting one of the tuning keys slightly and nodding when he had it just right. He played and sang—his accent suddenly a strong Scottish she hadn’t noticed before. The song was one JoAnn didn’t know, but she listened as she put the bread into the oven and carefully followed a recipe to make the chicken and dumplings Miss Hazel had made sure all of them could cook.

  When he finished singing, she turned to him. “That was beautiful. I don’t know the song.”

  “It’s called ‘Beauty.’ My dad played it for my mother a lot when I was small. I was born in Toronto, but my parents were Scottish immigrants. Dad worked for a factory, but his true love was music. He taught me that love as well.”

  JoAnn smiled, happy to talk about music. “Neither of my parents like music, but my mother had in her head that a gently-reared young lady should be able to play the piano. So while my brothers were taught to work, I was sitting at my piano practicing, my music teacher at my side. I started to take lessons when I was three. By the time I was five, I had the love of music filling me so strongly, I couldn’t imagine not playing. I moved onto guitar and then to violin. Now I play all three instruments, and I sing, of course. I taught music lessons back home.”

  “I haven’t had any formal training. There wasn’t enough money for that. But I have a good ear, and if I’ve heard a song once, I can usually play it perfectly. It takes me a couple of times to learn all the words, but I love it. I thought for a short while about becoming a professional musician, but my love for Canada was stronger than my love of music. I can be a Mountie and play music, but I couldn’t be a professional musician and be a Mountie as well. I think I made the right choice.”

  JoAnn smiled. “It sounds like it to me. I brought lots and lots of sheet music that we can play together, if you’d like to learn something new.”

  Kendall frowned. “I’m sure we’ll learn lots of new songs together.”

  As soon as JoAnn had the pot of chicken and dumplings cooking on the stove, she picked up her violin. “I’m guessing there isn’t a piano in town? I couldn’t bring my own, of course.”

  “No piano in town. But you brought your violin.”

  “My guitar as well. I like to play all three, but the violin is my real love.”

  “Do you know this?” he asked, starting to strum an old polka.

  JoAnn’s face lit up, and she joined the music, playing the violin as a fiddle. She’d always enjoyed fiddling instead of playing the orchestra music her mother had preferred, but she’d had to do it when no one could hear her.

  When they finished the first song, she looked up to see Miss Hazel, Jess, and Theodore all standing there watching them. Jess went to the stove to stir the dumplings, and Miss Hazel set the table. “You two just keep right on playing. We’ll get supper on the table.”

  JoAnn grinned over at Kendall, thrilled that the two of them were able to play together so effortlessly. She’d tried to play with other musicians, but they’d always needed hours of practice. Falling in with what her new husband played was so easy it shocked her. “I could get out some of my sheet music,” she offered shyly.

  Kendall shook his head. “We’ll learn new stuff later. Let’s just play for our friends.”

  JoAnn couldn’t argue with his logic. He started on an old folk song, and she followed automatically, knowing the song well. She sang the words, and he joined her, his deep baritone voice contrasting her alto. If she’d been given the chance to choose a voice that would sound best with hers, it would have been his. She was certain she could have picked his voice out of thousands.

  At the end of the next song, Jess called them to eat. “We’ll go now. I was worried you’d let supper burn because you were too caught up in your music.”

  Kendall grinned at JoAnn. “Have you ever done that?”

  JoAnn shook her head. “I have never in my life let supper burn while I played music.” It was honest as far as it went. She hadn’t fixed enough suppers for that to have been a possibility.

  Jess raised an eyebrow at her, obviously understanding her thought process. JoAnn waved goodbye to her friend as she left, taking her mother-in-law and her husband with her.

  JoAnn walked to the table and sat down, looking around for their drinks. She realized there were none, so she got up to fetch water for both of them. “I hope you like water with your meals.”

  “Sure. Especially if you cook as well as Jess does.” Kendall picked up his spoon.

  She shook her head automatically. “I’m afraid not.” She filled two glasses with the water pump and put them on the table before sitting down opposite him again. “Jess was always the best cook around. I never could figure out why she chose to work in banking when she could be a chef.”

  He took a bite of the chicken and dumplings. “Would you mind getting the salt and pepper?”

  She frowned. At home, there would be a maid to fetch them, but here, it was up to her. She hurried over to the counter and pulled down the spices out of a cabinet. “I’m sorry if I didn’t add enough.” She thought for a moment, wondering if she’d added any. No matter, he was adding some now, right?

  “What was your life like back in Ottawa?” he asked. “I know you obviously had time for your music.”

  “I’ve been a school teacher for the past few years, and I would teach music after school. Other than that, I guess my life was pretty normal.”

  “Did you live with your parents?”

  “Yes, and my brothers. They both work for my father’s furniture factory. They’ll run it together one day, but for now, they’re starting at the bottom and working their way up. Father doesn’t think that his children should be given anything on a silver platter, and we should always work for what we have. That’s why I was teaching as well. I’ve saved every dime I’ve ever made.”

  Kendall eyed her for a moment. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. “Sounds like your upbringing was very different than mine. My parents were immigrants, and Dad worked in a factory. He certainly didn’t own one. There were six children in my family. Do you have sisters?”

  She shook her head. “No, there were just Thomas, Andrew, and me. I sometimes think Mother would have liked to have another daughter, but she was rather sickly.”

  “My mum took in washing to help make ends meet.”

  “My mother had tea parties three afternoons a week. The most work she ever did was directing the servants.” JoAnn frowned. “Do you think less of me because my upbringing was privileged?”

  He shook his head, taking another bite of her chicken and dumplings. He hoped she and Jess would work together to get her cooking up to scratch. As it was, he was having a hard time getting it down. “Not at all. It just means we won’t have as much in common.”

  “We have music. Do we need more?”

  Kendall considered her question. “Probably not. I guess I just thought I’d be getting someone who was good at domestic chores, and instead I’ve gotten a wife who is a musician and a debutante.”

  “If the queen ever comes to tea here in town, I will be the person who will know how to serve her. My manners are impeccable.”

  “I have a feeling that’s never going to happen.”

  JoAnn shrugged. “But if it does…” She suddenly worried that he would find her lacking. She remembered her emotions when she’d first arrived in Squirrel Ridge Junction, and how she’d wanted to get on a
train and go straight back to Ottawa where she belonged. Was he finding her inferior?

  “I guess I just need to wrap my mind around not getting exactly what I thought I’d get.”

  “Are you disappointed?” She didn’t have a lot of experience with the opposite sex, but she knew that a direct question was always the best way to get the answers you needed.

  Kendall thought about that for a moment before answering. “I’m married to a beautiful, talented lady. No, I’m not disappointed. Surprised is more the word that fits.”

  JoAnn nodded. “I’m happy you don’t find me lacking.” She worried about his hesitation though. Shouldn’t he have answered right away that he was pleased with her? Somehow, they didn’t seem to be starting their marriage off on the right foot.

  After she washed and dried the dishes—with no help from him—she walked back to her fiddle and picked it up. He had been playing and singing softly the entire time she worked. “Do you want to try a new song now?” she asked softly.

  He shook his head, again playing a song she knew, and she immediately joined him, wondering what he had against her new music. She had to admit that it was fun to play old favorites with him.

  As they played together, the hours seemed to disappear. Before she knew it, she was yawning. She set down her violin. “I need to get some sleep if I’m going to be worth anything tomorrow. It takes all my concentration to cook. I’m not at all like Jess.”

  He walked close to her, touching her for the first time since the wedding ceremony. Cupping her face in his hands, he looked deeply into her eyes. “I don’t want you to be like Jess. I want you to be like you.”

  She smiled, a bit sadly. “You want me to cook like Jess.”

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t every man want a woman who cooks well?”

  “I don’t know. Do they? Maybe you should learn to cook and cook for us both.”

  He frowned. “I have to work all day.”

  “I’ll be cleaning and doing laundry all day. Did you even notice all the work I put into your cabin while you were out?”

  He nodded. “I did. I should have said something. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  She sighed. As they grew to know one another better, he would understand the things that she needed from him. “Where are you going to sleep tonight?”

  “What do you mean? There’s a bed. I’ll sleep in it.”

  JoAnn frowned. “Then where will I sleep?”

  “We’re married. We’ll share the bed.”

  “You can just get that idea right out of your head. I’m not sharing a bed with a man I met a few hours ago. Have you lost your mind?”

  He frowned. “Are you planning on sleeping on the floor then?”

  She shook her head emphatically, walking over to the spot where he’d dropped his bedroll when he’d come in that afternoon. She picked it up and carried it to him. “Here you go. The floor or outside.”

  “Do I at least get a kiss goodnight?”

  “I don’t see a problem with that.” JoAnn was annoyed with him, but she wasn’t certain why. She wanted him to compliment the horrible supper she’d made and fight for his right to sleep in the same bed with her. Why wasn’t he acting like a new husband should?

  He walked closer to her, leaning down and kissing her, his lips lingering on hers. “I hope you sleep well.” He walked over to the spot beside the front door and rolled out his blanket, not even looking at her again.

  JoAnn went into the bedroom and closed the door, changing into her nightgown. She hoped marriage wouldn’t always be this awkward.

  JoAnn woke to the sound of pounding on her bedroom door. She groaned and covered her head with her blanket. It was too early for her to have to be awake. The door opened, and Kendall stuck his head in. “Are you going to fix breakfast?”

  She groaned and rolled over, wanting to go back to sleep. “Yes, I’m coming. Give me a minute.” She knew that being married meant seeing to his needs first, and he needed breakfast. She wanted to tell him to just go to Jess’s for breakfast as she knew he’d been doing since her friend married Theodore, but she also knew it was the wrong thing to do.

  So she got up, quickly changed into a day dress, and hurried into the kitchen. He’d already started the fire. “I started the coffee. I thought that might help you.”

  She smiled over at him. “Are pancakes all right?”

  “I love pancakes.” He sat at the table and watched as she got the bacon out of the ice box and awkwardly cut off several slices so she could fry them. She didn’t seem as comfortable in the kitchen as Jess always was, but when she put his pancakes in front of him, they tasted as good as any he’d ever tasted. “These are delicious!” He was thrilled to be able to compliment her cooking after the disaster of the night before.

  JoAnn’s face lit up at the compliment. “Thank you!” She sat across from him, and cut into her pancakes, taking a bite. They were good. She was thrilled to know he was being honest. “What will you do today?”

  “I have to go out on rounds. We’re going in pairs for the whole week, because we weren’t able to catch the man who robbed the mercantile on Wednesday. He did it at gunpoint, so he’s got to be considered dangerous.”

  “Could you get hurt?” She barely knew him, yet she worried about him being injured. She wasn’t sure if she would miss him as a singing partner or as a life partner. Either way, she didn’t want anything to happen to him.

  He shrugged. “A Mountie could always get hurt. I could be thrown from my horse. I could get shot. Any number of things could happen. I’m careful though.”

  She frowned at him. “You’d better be. I’m not ready to be a widow just yet.”

  He smiled, recognizing her words as a compliment. “I’ll do my best.”

  As soon as he was done, he stood up and put on his hat. He was already dressed in his Mountie uniform. She stood and walked to him, raising her lips for his kiss. Before yesterday, she’d never kissed anyone but family, and now here she was acting as if kissing her husband was normal. “Stay safe.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him go, saying a quick prayer for his safety.

  Her day was again filled with chores. She went to talk to Jess about what she’d done wrong with the chicken and dumplings. “I want to cook a delicious meal for supper, but I obviously don’t have the talent. I tried to follow the recipe exactly, and I could barely choke it down. I don’t know how Kendall resisted spitting it out.”

  Jess shook her head. “Just be glad you’re not married to Nolan. That man is always hungry. I swear he’s got a hollow leg. There’s no other explanation for where the food goes.”

  JoAnn frowned at her friend. “So you’ll teach me to make something?”

  Jess shrugged. “I’m making a pork roast tonight. Why don’t you make the same thing, and we can fix them together? You can watch me, and then I’ll watch you. There’ll be a better chance of you getting it right if you see me demonstrate, and then I watch you to be sure no errors are made.”

  “All right. I should bring in the clothes from the line first, though, right?”

  Jess frowned. “Did you leave them out there overnight?”

  “Yes. Shouldn’t I?”

  “Let’s go get them.” Jess led the way, explaining as they went. “It rains so much here. If it rains, you’ll have to redo everything.”

  “But the rain would just wash the clothes, wouldn’t it?” JoAnn didn’t understand what the big deal was.

  “The rain would make mud and puddles, and the clothes would be splashed. You need to be more careful than that with the laundry.”

  JoAnn frowned. “I’m not sure I’m ever going to get this stuff right.”

  “You will. I’ll help you. And remember, you can sing like nothing he’s ever heard.”

  4

  When they got out to the clothesline, Jess frowned. “There’s that silly moose again.”

  JoAnn looked at Jess and then over at the moose, who was standing with
her clean sheets on his back. Or was it a her? What did she know about the gender differences of mooses? Meese? Moosi? “Jess, what’s the plural of moose?”

  “Moose.” Jess shook her head. “Bull moose can be dangerous, but I’ve seen this one around. He’s mischievous, but he doesn’t seem at all threatening.”

  JoAnn looked at the huge creature. “Could I pet him?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend it. He could kill you with a kick.”

  “But he looks so friendly…”

  “Just stay back. We’ll get the laundry in later.”

  “But what if it rains, you said…”

  “JoAnn, I love you more than just about anyone. You’ve been one of my closest friends for a lot of years. Don’t make me end that friendship with your early demise.” Jess walked in the back door of JoAnn’s new home. “Do you need some help with the windows?”

  JoAnn looked at her windows and frowned. “I guess they do need to be washed, don’t they?”

  “Of course, they do. And it’s your job to do it.” Jess grinned at her friend. “The maids aren’t going to pop out of the bushes and start washing your windows, you know!”

  “I know. If they were going to pop up and do anything, they’d cook for me. Do you have any idea how much I hate cooking?”

  “No one likes every aspect of their job,” Jess said, getting to work. “We really should make curtains for your windows. You’d have a little more privacy that way, and they’d look so pretty.”

  JoAnn wrinkled her nose. “Of course, we should.” She shook her head. “How are the other girls? Have you heard?”

  Jess nodded, her face seeming amused. “Two are married, one is not. I don’t know that anyone is happily married just yet. I don’t know why Miss Hazel thought that everyone would look at each other and fall madly in love. As far as I can tell, you and Kendall came the closest to that, and I don’t think you’re as much in love with him as you are with his music.”