On Her Way Home Read Free Page B

at nearly every storefront entrance. Although the street wasn’t paved, it was still wide and roomy enough for two-way traffic. At the end of it, a large brick building stood with POST OFFICE painted in bright white above the double doors. This part of Montana certainly seemed to be faring better than the rest of the State; most of the Montana that she’d passed through on the train ride west was shabby, abandoned homesteads and stark ghost towns dwindling along the railroads tracks.
    Pleased with the town and her leisurely walk, Jo decided to get settled in at the hotel. The green building with a second story balcony and white shutters wasn’t hard to find in a community where one of everything was more than enough; Jo sighed gratefully upon spying it. Mmmm, that smells good , she thought, passing a small café next to the hotel. Jill’s Café , the sign read.
    Deciding to go in and have a bite before checking in, she took a seat in the corner and perused the menu. “I’ll have the chicken salad and a lemonade, with a piece of apple pie for dessert.” She smiled up at the cheery waitress. She was a bit early for the lunchtime crowd, but there were still a few people dining. Jo peeled her eyes away from the mountain view and started one of her favorite waiting games, eavesdropping. Oh, she knew it wasn’t proper exactly, but it was so interesting to hear the conversations and imagine who these people were and what their lives were like. Plus, the older gentleman behind her must be hard of hearing because he was speaking loud enough that it would have been practically impossible not to overhear him anyway.
    “I had to bargain with the ole miser, but I got him talked down to a fair price for the seed. If we can clear that last bit of timber from the upper field and finish with the fencing before next week, we should be able to get the seed in the ground for this year.”
    The young man sitting with him replied sarcastically, “Oh sure, we should have no problem doing all that in a week.” He paused, leaning back in his chair, “I just don’t see how it’s going to get done. I was over at the post office checking on that ad. No luck. Well, unless you count a letter for Mattie. Last week, I went over to Craig Johnson’s. He’s advertised for two months without a single applicant. He finally decided to hell with it, and now he has all five daughters out riding herd!”
    The old man snickered, “Well, it’s about time he found a use for those stout daughters of his.”
    Jo winced inwardly. This wasn’t the first time eavesdropping had backfired. She was sick of men trying to figure out a “use” for women. Bristling, she thought to herself, why that crusty old, narrow-minded…
    “Leif, all of eastern Montana is clearing out with the drought and wheat prices falling. The boss picked prime land out here, and we’ll see it through.”
    Jo’s head snapped around at the mention of Leif’s name to stare at the two men.
    Kirby caught the whip of the brown head two tables in front of him. He wondered what he’d said that had interested her so much. Maybe it was the comment about Johnson’s daughters. He peered at her closely. She wasn’t as strapping as that bunch, but she looked solid enough. He’d probably offended her. He dipped his head and smiled at her, hoping to unruffle her tail feathers. She disregarded his apology and immediately faced forward in her chair.
    The waitress arrived with Jo’s lunch and placed it in front of her. “It’s a beautiful day out isn’t it?” she asked striking up small talk.
    “Yes,” Jo replied absentmindedly. As the waitress turned to go, Jo caught her arm, “Excuse me, but do you happen to know the names of the two gentleman behind me?”
    The waitress looked past Jo. “Yes, the older gentleman is Kirby Smith and the younger one is Leif Hawkins. He’s a handsome man, isn’t he? She said, nodding pointedly at Leif and giving Jo a knowing look. “Would you like me