The Cowboy's Christmas Proposal

She got up and led the way out of the kitchen to the bunkhouse. She had cleaned out a private room at the end of the building yesterday after her talk with Dexter Williams.

“This is the manager’s room. I hope it will be satisfactory for you, but let me know if there’s anything else you need. You can put your dirty laundry in this basket. I’m hiring a housekeeper and I’ll instruct her to do your laundry once a week.” Penny paused and looked at the ground before continuing. “I didn’t fire any of the other cowboys, but if you catch any of them cheating, feel free to fire them.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Will your quarters be satisfactory?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then I’ll leave you. The men should be in before sunset. One of the men will come in early. He’s the designated cook.”

He nodded his head.

Penny returned his nod and got out of there before she started answering yes sir in response to his yes ma’ams. She strode across the grass that parted the main house from the bunkhouse. Hopefully Mr. Larson would do his job well and teach her about ranching for many years to come.

Jake watched her walk back to the house. She seemed awfully young to him. Maybe it was her name. It made him think of a child. Not that she looked like a little girl. Her body was definitely that of a woman.

But he didn’t intend to show any interest in her. He’d learned his lesson. Romance and ranching didn’t work for him. He intended to avoid any hint of flirtation.

Looking around the room, he decided he liked having a separate room from the rest of the men. He’d tired of sharing large rooms with everyone else. If the cook was good, he’d be happy. Good food made the difference in some jobs.

Before he settled in his room, he went out and unloaded Apache and put him in a corral. “You’ll be okay here, Apache. I’ll be back in the morning.” He checked the water barrel before he went back in and stored things away, making himself at home. Having his laundry done was handy, too. And he had a desk for doing paperwork.

Dexter had been right. He was ready for this job. And he’d even teach the woman about ranching. After all, it was a job he loved.

Penny ate some lunch and then began pacing the floor again. She had someone coming to interview for the housekeeper’s job and she was feeling anxious. Penny had always helped her mother in the house, but if she was going to be on horseback most of the day learning ranching, she wouldn’t be able to keep the house in order or prepare good meals. A housekeeper was a necessity.

But she wasn’t sure she could stand to have a stranger live with her, in the same house. She’d always shared the house with her parents and brother, but no one else. Penny was more nervous about this interview than she had been with Jake Larson.

Another vehicle pulled into the driveway. Penny watched through the window at the lady who got out. She guessed her age was about fifty, a little overweight, but not much. Even better, she had a pleasant expression on her face.

Again, Penny waited until her visitor knocked and then opened the door. The lady introduced herself as Harriet Buckner. Penny invited her in.

“My, what a lovely kitchen,” the woman said, looking around.

“Yes, my father had it redone last year for my—my mother.”

“Oh, yes, I heard. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. I helped my mother with the housework and cooking, but now I’m going to be riding out each day with my new manager to learn the business and I don’t think I’ll feel like cooking and cleaning also.” She drew a deep breath. “So, I’m looking for a housekeeper who can do all those things herself.”

The woman nodded. “I’ve been cooking since I was a little girl and I enjoy it. And I’m good at cleaning. Are there any duties you’re especially looking for?”

“No, I don’t think so. But I did tell the new manager you’d do his laundry. I put a laundry basket in his room. And maybe occasional baking for the men. They seldom have time for any cooking that takes time.”

“Of course. So it’ll just be you and me for meals here in the house?”

“Yes, unless I invite someone. My cousin and I try to visit as much as we can. Or I might ask the manager to join us occasionally so I can ask questions about something that happened. I’m a raw beginner at ranching.”

“I see. I could always prepare enough food for three. Then I’d eat the leftovers the next day for lunch, so it wouldn’t go to waste.”

“Yes, that would work. Do you think you’d like the job?”

“It sounds perfect to me.”

Penny drew a deep breath. “I’ll show you your room.” She’d already decided the guest room on the first floor would be perfect for the housekeeper. She led her down the hall and opened the door. “This bedroom would be yours and it has an attached bathroom for you.”

“Oh, my, it’s quite lovely. I’ll be very comfortable here.”

“All right. Do you need to go back to Trinity to get your belongings before you move in?” To Penny’s surprise, the woman’s face turned a bright red.

“No! I—I took my belongings with me. You see, the rancher I worked for previously decided he—he was interested in marrying me, but it had only been a month since his wife had died. I thought he was looking for a way to have my services without paying me a salary. I wasn’t interested.”

“Oh, yes, I understand. That would be awkward.”

“Yes. I really appreciate you giving me this job. I promise I’ll do my best. You just let me know what you want me to do.”

“I will. I’ll take care of my own bedroom. You’ll just need to clean the downstairs.”

“You’re making the job sound too easy.”

“No, I’m sure you’ll be busy.”

“Okay. What time do you want breakfast on the table?”

“Oh! I didn’t ask my new manager what time he wanted me to be ready. I’ll go ask him while you’re getting settled.”

Penny stepped out on the back porch and gave a sigh of relief. Harriet seemed like she’d be okay and easy to get along with.

She walked down to the bunkhouse and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she stepped inside and moved to the manager’s room. No answer there, either.

Moving back outside, she noted that the truck and trailer had been parked out of the way but were still there. She moved to the main barn that held some of the hay supply but also housed any cows that had problems with their calves, or injured horses.

No one there.

Then she heard that deep voice that fascinated her. It was coming from the nearest corral. She moved out into the cold air again and found him petting a horse.

“Beautiful horse. Is he yours?” she asked.

Jake spun around as if she’d crept up behind him. “Uh, yeah, he’s mine. His name is Apache. I—I took a little hay to feed him.”

“That’s fine. The men usually put their rides in a corral in winter. It makes it much easier to get started in the morning and more efficient to feed them when they are in a corral.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“I needed to ask you what time you wanted to start in the morning.”

“I usually eat breakfast at six-thirty. There’s barely enough light at seven in the winter. That’s when you’d need to be in the saddle. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”