Hotel laundry.
Accounts.
The bake sale.
Caroline’s laughter.
Then at the road north.
“Yes.”
Nathaniel offered his hand.
Lena stared at it.
“What?”
“Step.”
“I can climb.”
“I know.”
She climbed without taking his hand.
Nathaniel smiled.
Lena settled beneath the heavy buffalo robes.
He sat beside her.
The horses moved.
Cedar Hollow disappeared behind snow.
For the first hour, Nathaniel said almost nothing.
That bothered Lena.
Then she realized she preferred it.
He did not ask why she was widowed.
Did not ask how much she weighed.
Did not ask whether she planned to marry again.
He simply drove.
Finally Lena said:
“You really have eighty men?”
“Seventy-eight today.”
“Contract says eighty.”
“Two coming from Cheyenne.”
“What do they eat now?”
Nathaniel’s face became grim.
“Beans.”
“What else?”
“Salt pork.”
“Bread?”
“Something resembling it.”
Lena stared.
“What happened to your last cook?”
“Which one?”
“The one before the broken hand.”
“Quit.”
“Why?”
Nathaniel looked uncomfortable.
“Men complained.”
“About food?”
“About portions.”
“And?”
“He threw a skillet.”
Lena slowly smiled.
“At them?”
“At me.”
She laughed so hard the horses’ ears moved.
Nathaniel looked wounded.
“You find that funny?”
“Yes.”
“I was nearly killed.”
“By cookware?”
“Cast iron.”
“Respectable weapon.”
He shook his head.
Lena wiped tears from her eyes.
The road grew steeper.
They entered pine forest.
Snow hung heavy on branches.
Nathaniel pointed toward a ridge.
“Black Ridge starts there.”
Lena followed his hand.
“How much farther?”
“Two hours.”
She groaned.
Nathaniel smiled.
“You wanted adventure.”
“I wanted wages.”
“You're getting both.”
By dusk, Lena saw lights.
Dozens.
The ranch appeared gradually through snow.
Large barn.
Bunkhouses.
Main house.
Smokehouse.
Blacksmith shed.
Two long cattle barns.
A kitchen building connected to a dining hall.
Men moved through snow carrying lanterns.
Nathaniel stopped the sleigh.
A ranch hand approached.
“Boss.”
Then he saw Lena.
His eyebrows rose.
Nathaniel said:
“New cook.”
The man looked at Lena.
Then her trunk.
Then the Dutch oven.
His expression became skeptical.
Lena recognized it immediately.
She climbed down.
Nathaniel offered his hand again.
This time she took it.
Not because she needed help.
Because the snow was knee-deep.
The ranch hand introduced himself as Ben Carter.