Chasing Clovers Read Free Page B

back to the saloons and the dirty cowboys, the memories, and the fear.
    " I didn't mean to …" John began in an apologetic voice.
    " I think we should start over," she interrupted.
    He smiled, easing the tension between them as well as her frayed nerves. "Good idea."
    The chair groaned as he stood up. "Your bedroom is upstairs, first door on the left. Mine is across from yours. Ben and Emily's are at the end of the hall. And the outhouse is out back past the garden."
    " Okay."
    He took his hat off to wipe the sweat from his forehead .
    " Alice will be leaving today. She was watching the children for me while I was in town. She can show you where everything is, you'll find her out back in the garden with Emily."
    " I will find her when we're done talking."
    " The evening meal is at six, and you only have to worry about me and the kids. The men take their meals in the cookhouse."
    She had to cook today? Heaven help her —could this day get any worse? She chewed on her bottom lip as her mind raced through the short list of things she knew how to make.
    I 'll make sandwiches and some canned fruit. That can't be too hard.
    " The meal will be ready at six."
    John remained a moment longer . Livy, sensing he had more to say, waited patiently for him to continue. Instead, he pulled his hat down onto his head and placed the mug in the wash basin on the counter.
    " I've got work to do. See you at supper," he mumbled before he walked out the back door.
    She listened as his boots stomp down the steps, and slowly faded away. S he sighed.
    " Alone at last."
    Leaving h er cup on the table, she strode out of the kitchen into what seemed like a sitting room. On the far wall stood a shelf full of books. She examined the colorful bindings lined up neatly on each ledge. She'd never seen so many books in her life, and wondered if John had read them all. She ran her hand along the tall and short bindings while surveying the room. A fireplace protruded from the corner. Around the opening sat jagged pieces of brown, grey and rust-colored stone. A sofa and chair on either side. Closing her eyes, she imagined sitting here warm and cozy, a book in hand as the snow fell outside.
    " You must be Olivia."
    Caught day dreaming, she spun around and saw a short elderly woman standing in the doorway of the room, holding the little girl's hand. Livy's heart skipped and her hands grew clammy. She tried not to look at the child. "Yes, I am."
    " I'm Alice." A friendly smile on her wrinkled face, she glanced down at the girl, and tugged gently on her hair. "And this here is Miss Emily."
    " Hello," she said, her voice shaking. The child made her uncomfortable, and she could feel her chest grow tight.
    She was glad that Alice didn't seem to notice her resistance to the girl. It was better to keep her insecurities, and the way the girl affected her, to herself. If Alice suspected anything, she was sure to ask questions. And Livy had told enough lies for one day.
    " Benjamin will be in right away. He's a fine lad too." The woman patted Emily's head.
    Livy could see that Alice was very fond of the children. She tried to smile back, but only made it half way. "I'm told I have to cook dinner tonight."
    " Yes, six o'clock." Alice motioned to the kitchen. "I started a stew on the stove for you. All you have to do is add the vegetables Emily and I dug out of the garden."
    She sighed with relief. She wasn't keen on sandwiches and was sure John would want more than that for his evening meal.
    " That was very kind of you," she said.
    With no idea how to cook, she was sure she would make a mess of things tonight on her first try. She 'd already decided to stay up half the night reading her new cook book, in the hope of finding a few easy recipes. With luck, she wouldn't kill any of them.
    " How about a cup of tea?" Alice suggested.
    She was hesitant, but the more time she spent with the older woman, the more comfortable she became. Besides, it would be nice to have another woman