True Love for Joshua
Chapter One
It was a warm spring day when all the residents of Seattle, Washington Territory, seemed abuzz with a heightened awareness and excitement, for everyone knew that when spring was in the air, love was also in the air.
A stranger emerged from a carriage that had stopped in the town square. A well-dressed man stepped out, thanked the driver, and asked where he might find accommodations for the night.
"Right over there, sir; Lottie's Saloon. It's a fine establishment, not a brothel."
The gentleman sighed with relief and ambled over to Lottie's.
"Pardon me, Miss" the gentleman stated when he approached Lottie.
Lottie Hatfield turned around and exclaimed "Miss?! Why, Sir, you may have your first drink on the house!"
He chuckled slightly, then inquired, "I am looking for accommodations for a weary traveler. I expect to be here a few days."
"Well, you've come to the right place, Mr….?
"Smithers, Milady. Carl Smithers."
"Well, then, Mr. Smithers, let me show you to your room, which is at the top of the stairs." Lottie ushered him up the stairs and opened the door for him.
"This is the second nicest room I have. The nicest is my room," she smiled coyly.
"Well, this will be just fine, Miss Lottie. Do you perchance know where I could find some dinner before I turn in tonight?"
"Right downstairs, Mr. Smithers. I always make plenty of food at all meals, for the loggers and mill hands, and of course, for my guests!"
"Why, thank you again, Miss Lottie. I shall come downstairs after I have rested a bit."
"Take your time, Mr. Smithers. There is no dinner bell."
She sashayed out of the room and returned to the bar.
Mr. Smithers closed the door quietly behind him. He actually had no intentions of "resting" just then. He worked for the difficult, lazy son of the contractors who had recently awarded a large bid to the Bolt Brothers Logging Operation. It had been signed, sealed, and delivered back to Mr. Stempel. Carl procured a copy of the original and proceeded to add some pages that would stick together, hiding the fine print of early bonus money and delay penalties. He was an expert at signature replication, so all the Bolt brothers' signatures looked identical to the original document (at least to him).
He did decide to lie down for a few minutes before completing his tasks for the evening.
Mr. Smithers finally went downstairs to dinner when he heard talking and laughter coming from below.
He peered over the railing to view the myriad of customers who were there. There were three men at one table who looked and sounded like men of importance in the town. He decided to join them.
"Excuse me, sirs, would you mind if I joined you? I do not see many empty tables here."
Jason, Jeremy, and Aaron all said "Sure! We'd welcome the opportunity to talk to somebody new around here!"
Mr. Smithers sat down quietly and introduced himself. "I'm Carl Smithers, of Eugene, Oregon."
"Well, I'm Jason Bolt, and this is my brother Jeremy, and this gentleman is Mr. Aaron Stempel."
"I'm pleased to meet you all," replied Mr. Smithers, with a huge smile. He could not believe the luck he was having tonight.
"Um, may I ask, sir, why you have graced this town with your presence? Are you here on business?" Aaron asked.
"Well, actually I am. I work for a large lumber company in Portland, Oregon, which has just awarded a rather sizable contract to the Bolt Brothers Logging Operation, which, if I am guessing correctly, means Jason and Jeremy…?"
"And Joshua, my other brother, who is currently out of town."
"Actually, Mr. Smithers, I happen to have the contract in my office, if you would care to go over it again."
"Oh, there's no need for that, Mr. Stempel, but I would like to see where your offices are, so I get a feel for the 'lay of the land,' so to speak, before I report back to my employer. Seattle is still a rather small town, so I had to convince the company to take a chance on your small logging operation."
"Oh?" Inquired Jason, politely. He could already tell that something was "off" about this man. "I thought we won that bid, fair and square, Mr. Smithers. My brother Joshua represented us at the Portland bidding."
"Oh, yes, Mr. Bolt, I did not mean to insult you in any way, it's just that - you see, we have a certain 'obligation' at this point to please our investors. I just wanted to hint that it was a huge honor, indeed, that your relatively small business here in Seattle won the bid. Please do not take offense to anything I just said."
"No offense taken," said Jason, rather quickly.
"Well, gentlemen, I bid you all good night," declared Stempel. He got up to leave when Mr. Smithers said, "I really do want to see your offices soon, gentlemen. How about tomorrow morning?"
"That's fine with me," said Aaron. "I'll meet you here for breakfast at 8:00, and we can go to my place from here."
Jason also rose to leave. "My men usually get started at 7 a.m., which is an unheard-of hour for a traveling soul to get up. Aaron can point the way to our camp from his mill, so you can find us there."
"That sounds perfect," said Mr. Smithers.
"Well, Good night, Mr. Smithers, Aaron," said Jason.
They all nodded at each other before departing Lottie's.
Mr. Smithers bid Lottie good night and went up to his room. He closed the door and danced a little jig from happiness, seeing his plan lining up perfectly in front of his eyes, without even having to make up big lies or use coercion.
Chapter Two
Joshua Bolt was in Tacoma, gathering supplies for the Bolt Brother's Logging Operation. The three Bolt brothers - Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy - had inherited the most imposing landmark in the Seattle area - Bridal Veil Mountain - after their parents passed away. Not a family to shirk a challenge, all three brothers worked hard to maintain the contracts they had as well as constantly seek new ones to add to their resumé.
Joshua was walking down a fairly quiet side street when he heard the loud peal of children's laughter. Intrigued, he immediately followed the sound, and discovered a class of young children laughing and commenting on an apparently funny story read by their teacher. When Joshua saw the teacher's face, he immediately was awestruck. He had not seen such a beautiful woman in all his life. He knew she was also a good soul by the way she interacted with the children, making it seem effortless and fun.
He stood there until the story was finished. All the children clapped loudly. He heard the teacher say, "Now, class, that is about all we have time for today. I look forward to seeing each of you tomorrow, all right?"
The children said in unison, "Yes, Miss Clara!" Then they all rose and gathered their materials, ready to meet their parents and walk home.
As the children were bustling about with armfuls of drawings, papers, and clothing accessories, Josh watched as 'Miss Clara' seemed to say a few words to each student before he or she left.
"That was a very good tale, Johnny." "Rebecca, you read that poem just like you wrote it yourself!" "Tommy, be sure and go over some spelling words with your papa before the test tomorrow."
All children replied brightly "Yes, Miss Clara!" as they made their way out the door and into the waiting arms of their parents.
Clara let out a huge sigh just as Joshua approached her, chuckling.
"I would think anyone would be exhausted after handling all those active children," smiled Joshua.
Clara looked up, a bit startled. "Well, yes, but I try not to let it show, at least until they make it around the curve of the street up there." She pointed to the far bend in the road, with a few tiny-looking people rounding it, walking.
"What can I do to help you, sir? Do you have a child you wish to enroll in school?"
Joshua chuckled, "Oh, no, Ma'am. I'm not married. I honestly was captivated by the way you handled those children, and just, um, wanted to know your name." He actually blushed a bit when he said it.
"Oh, my name is Clara Porter, and yours is…?
"Joshua Bolt, Ma'am, at your service!" He made a slight bow with that statement. Rising back up he added, "But most people just call me Josh."
"Well, Mr. Bolt, since you don't seem to have any wares to sell, I might as well invite you in here to assist me in finishing cleaning the room before getting it all jumbled up again tomorrow….if you wouldn't mind, that is?"
"Oh, no Ma'am, I wouldn't mind at all!"
For the next half hour, they picked up the room together, washed down the chalkboard, and put all the extraneous materials away, It was Joshua's turn to sigh deeply after they had finally finished.
"You honestly do all of this every day?" He asked.
"No, sometimes I do more!" she giggled.
Josh chuckled, and added, "Well, I don't know about you, Miss Porter, but I'm starving. Would you like to accompany me to a nice restaurant for dinner?"
"Well… you seem fairly harmless, given your volunteer attitude to the tasks at hand, so I would like that very much, thank you. Nothing too, too fancy, please; I still have my work clothes on. Oh… and you can call me Clara.
"And you can call me Josh (or whatever you want to call me, he thought). I, too, am not dressed to impress." As Clara looked him up and down with appreciation, she thought to herself 'I'm sure you would be impressive in any attire…'
They strolled down a few blocks, then Josh stopped in front of a nice-looking Italian Restaurant that displayed its tempting menu right outside the entrance.
"This place looks both nice and delicious! How about giving it a try?"
Clara nodded her head as he ushered her in, not knowing that it was one of her favorite restaurants.
Joshua and Clara were talking non-stop, laughing and enjoying themselves. They did not realize just how long they had lingered over dinner until a waiter came up and gently said, "Sir, I'm afraid we are closing the kitchen and the restaurant now."
"What…?" Both Josh and Clara looked up from their table to see that they were the only ones left in the restaurant.
"Well, I'll be… I'll take the check then, sir."
Clara just smiled and added "Well, I've never seen time fly by so quickly before! I'm glad we had a chance to order dessert!" They both chuckled.
Josh walked Clara home. She did not live far from the school. Clara spoke up and said, "Joshua, I've had such a wonderful evening! I don't own a home to invite you in for coffee; I'm just a tenant in this boarding house."
"Oh, that's quite all right, Clara" Josh replied. "May I come calling on you tomorrow after school? It will be my last day in Tacoma."
"Oh, I'd like that very much," said Clara softly. She did not want to betray any eagerness in her voice.
Josh waved to her before he strolled away. Clara kept her gaze on him until he disappeared around the curve in the road.
Chapter Three
Mr. Smithers enjoyed breakfast with Aaron, then eagerly followed him to his office and mill. He received the 'royal tour' of both places, and he acted very satisfied with how things were progressing.
Aaron bid him farewell before returning to his office. But before he could turn to go, a mill worker ran up to him and exclaimed "Mr. Stempel! One of the processing machines is acting up again. You better come look at it."
"Oh, OK," replied Aaron. He again bade Mr. Smithers farewell before hastily following his employee.
Mr. Smithers simply giggled to himself with delight. He snuck back into Aaron's office to complete his "work" before heading to the Bolt Brothers' Camp.
As he promised, Josh showed up the next day, just as school was letting the children out. He winked at Clara from outside the classroom and watched the children gather their things once again to walk home.
After the families had left, Joshua stepped inside and pronounced "I'm ready for cleaning duty if you wish, Ma'am!"
"Oh, you're going to spoil me with all this help, Joshua," Clara replied. "Let's see if we can finish quickly so we can spend some time together before you have to leave."
Joshua didn't need to be told twice; he went through that classroom in record time (for him, anyway).
Clara seemed mighty impressed. "Mr. Bolt, do you have any idea just how difficult it is to accomplish what you did in only 15 minutes?"
"Well, Clara, I'm used to 'picking up the pace' when my older brother Jason barks at the loggers. I just hope that I didn't misplace anything when I whirled right through this."
Clara laughed, "All of the children's possessions are always up for grabs. They seem to misplace themselves overnight!"
The couple both chuckled at that comment. Joshua drew nearer to Clara, put his arm around her waist, and confessed, "You have thoroughly beguiled me, Miss Clara Porter. I would like very much to see if…. if it would work out for me to start courting you."
Clara's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Oh, Mr. Bolt, you make me blush!" She said demurely,
"I will look forward to the next chance I can to return to Tacoma, but you must promise me a visit to Seattle sometime soon, too." Josh took her hand and kissed her fingertips, bowing slightly. "I will send a wire when I can secure a date for my next visit."
"That would be lovely," Clara whispered.
Joshua turned and went to get his horse, winking at her as he passed.
Chapter Four
Back in Seattle, it was 'business as usual,' both up at the logging camp and down at Aaron Stempel's lumber mill. The day-to-day operations at both businesses took on a steady rhythm, especially if there were no immediate deadlines at either business. Jason usually nabbed the contracts with bonuses for early finishes, not penalties for delayed deadlines. This way, he kept everyone happy, both with the loggers and with Stempel and his crew.
Jason looked up from his current task and said, "Why, Aaron! What can I do for you today?"
"You can learn how to read the fine print!" Aaron told him. He spat it out like a full accusation.
"What do you mean? Joshua and I go over every sentence on every contract more than once!"
"Well, you seemed to have skipped a few paragraphs - in fact, a few pages - on this one. Here, see for yourself."
Jason examined the document, and, after the first couple of pages, he had trouble separating the next few. It seemed like something extremely sticky was gluing them together.
"I don't remember having this kind of trouble reading this contract," Jason recalled. "What do you think happened here?"
"I don't know and I really don't care," replied Stempel. But look here on page 4 - some important fine print."
Jason peered closer and quickly jerked his head up. "There was no mention of a penalty clause when we first read this contract!" Jason exclaimed. "I only saw the bonus clause if all the work was completed early."
Stempel added, "Sure, if it is a full 2 weeks early, and the full penalty is incurred just one day after the contract's deadline."
Jason kept staring at the sticky pieces of paper.
"Honestly, Aaron, I must have seen a different contract. This has all the makings of a boy dripping maple syrup all over daddy's important papers."
"Well, neither you nor I have a wife or children, and both of your brothers are single as well; this must have fallen into somebody else's hands after you read it the first time."
Jason was wracking his brain trying to picture where the contract went after the three brothers looked it over carefully. He was coming up blank.
"Let me see if Jeremy remembers anything. We'll step up the pace on our end, and be prepared to step up yours as well."
Aaron just raised his eyebrows. "Well, the one person I think who could and should handle this problem is Joshua. When do you expect him back from Tacoma?"
"Oh, in another day or so. I'll tell him about this unfortunate incident, and see if he can figure out where the mistakes came from."
"You do that, Jason. You do that." Stempel then walked off to his mill in a huff.
Jason actually wondered if someone had planted this stickiness on purpose, but how? The contract he and his brothers poured over was untouched and quite clean. And he brought it over to Stempel just after signing it.
"No, Jason, I don't remember pages sticking together before or after we studied and signed the contract," Jeremy stated. "I also don't remember Josh noticing this or the penalty clause. He's usually really good with that."
"Yes, I know," replied Jason. " We'll have to see what Josh says when he sees it. For now, tell the men to pick up the pace, and make it sound urgent, because it is. We still have a chance to get that early bonus."
"OK, Jason," replied Jeremy, as he went to relay the important message to his crew.
Chapter Five
When Josh returned to camp, he had a dreamy smile on his face, which was quickly erased when Jason hurried up to him and yelled "Josh! We need you to look over this contract immediately! Aaron found several constraints we apparently missed when we signed it."
Joshua dismounted his horse and went to examine the contract. "What is all this sticky substance doing on these middle pages? I don't recall having any trouble viewing all the pages before."
"That's what Jeremy and I asked after Aaron brought it to our attention. I can't help but wonder if it's some form of sabotage, but I can't for the life of me think who on earth would want to do this to us?"
"OK, Jason; just let me look at this more closely." He sat down on a nearby picnic bench and immediately started pouring over the contract with a fine-tooth comb, including the sticky pages. He found the task quite difficult to accomplish, since his head was still filled with the images of Clara and the special times they had recently shared.
After a few minutes. Joshua exclaimed, "Jason! Come here and look at this."
Jason went over to Josh quickly and looked at the document with him. Jeremy heard Josh's exclamation as well, so he stood behind Jason and peered at the document, too.
"This isn't the original contract, Jason. Two of these pages look like someone added cryptic fine print in them. Someone must have taken the original and swapped it out for this one."
"That's what it sure looked like to me, too, but how can we prove it?" asked Jeremy.
"Find the guy with the sticky fingers," replied Josh. "and find the original contract. if it isn't already destroyed."
"And until then, we'll be losing a lot of sleep," said Jason with a sigh.
Jeremy quickly said, "I have an idea, Jason. Let me talk to Lottie and check up on this Mr. Smithers." He hastened down to Lottie's Saloon. He also thought there was something "off" about this Mr. Smithers…
Lottie was cleaning the bar and arguing with Clancy once again. "Oh, FishFace, you KNOW I don't have a single bottle left of your 'private stock.' That's long gone, and I can't believe you even noticed."
"Ah, me darlin,' " Clancy answered in his thick Scottish brogue, "I remember they's was two different labels, they were…. weren't they?"
Just then Jeremy burst through the door. "Can I have a word with you, Lottie - in private?"
"Sure, I need the break," Lottie replied, and sashayed into the back room with Jeremy.
"C-c-can I ask what you served Stempel and Mr. Smithers for breakfast this morning?"
"Well, probably the usual - bacon and eggs - oh, and this time, I added a couple of pancakes on top."
"That's just what I thought," whispered Jeremy.
"What's wrong?" Lottie asked.
"Well, someone put a s-s-sticky substance inside the contract, and it covered up some really important fine print. I think I know who d-d-did it, but we need to find the original that was swapped out. Jason delivered a clean copy to Aaron right after we all s-s-signed it, but Aaron found the sticky one instead. It also must have happened just today. Do you know what Mr. S-s-smithers was going to do today?"
"Oh, yes, I do. And I think all signs point to him as the culprit. He and Aaron had breakfast together here. He took the last pancake and asked for a little extra syrup on it, so he could enjoy it later - cold or not."
"This sounds too obvious for someone who wants to be d-d-devious," Jeremy surmised. "He obviously doesn't have much experience sabotaging people. I just need to get him out of his room without his b-b-briefcase so I can look for the original contract in there."
Lottie thought about it for a little bit. "I have just the thing in mind, and it involves your intended and Biddie!" She took Jeremy by the hand and whisked him over to the dormitory.
Lottie knocked, then whirled inside, making sure the coast was clear for Jeremy not to see any scantily clad brides. She then hollered for both Biddie and Candy.
Both girls came down the stairs and Biddie immediately said, "Why, hello, Lottie! What can we do for you today?"
"A lot," replied Lottie. Jeremy's eyes widened when he saw Candy. "Hello," Candy smiled at him. He just smiled right back.
"Let's go to a private corner somewhere and I'll fill you in on what's going on and how you can help us."
Both Lottie and Jeremy informed the ladies what had transpired. Jeremy quickly interjected, "Have either of you met Mr. Smithers yet?"
"Well, last night we did spot him at Lottie's but we didn't approach him," Candy opined.
"Oh, well, you're so beautiful that I'm certain he caught sight of you," said Jeremy in all earnestness. All three ladies giggled.
"What?" Said Jeremy. "I was just tellin' the truth! Every time she enters a room, the lights get brighter and just shine on her!"
Candy blushed, while Lottie stated, "Well, we know who will catch your eye first, Miss Pruitt, but how long were you in the saloon? I'm thinking that if you two caught sight of him, then he caught sight of you."
"Well… I'm not sure," replied Candy. "I never actually stared at him or anything…" "Oh, I certainly did!" Interjected Biddie. "I thought he was just the cutest thing!"
"You did?" asked Candy. "To me, he just looked more like a weasel or a ferret…."
Now everyone laughed, but at Biddie's expense. She looked down sadly, but Candy quickly covered with "Oh, Biddie, different looks are attractive to different people, that's all. I just had this feeling deep down in my gut that there was something fishy about him, even while dining with Jeremy, Jason, and Mr. Stempel last night."
"Well, maybe I just want to catch any fella's eye first," mumbled Biddie, and after an exchange of hugs, Lottie told them what she had in mind for them to do. Time was of the essence, both in getting that original contract and finding out just who this Mr. Smithers really was.
"You don't think he actually is an employee of the Portland Bidding Firm?" asked Jeremy.
"No, I don't, and I'll tell you why…." Lottie's voice turned to a whisper before including her reason and her plan for the girls to distract Mr. Smithers away from his briefcase for at least a few minutes.
After a few questions back and forth, all three of the listeners nodded and stepped away, ready to spring into action.
As Josh was completing his morning tasks, he heard Jason say to Corky, " Well, I suppose we ought to send someone to Tacoma to get those extra supplies - and soon."
Josh immediately went up to Jason and asked, "Did you say you needed someone to go to Tacoma for some supplies?"
"Why yes, I did," answered Jason.
"Can I be the one to go?" asked Josh.
"Well, now, brother… it seems we usually take turns doing this sort of thing, and we have needed you here the last time you were gone. Hmmm… does this have anything to do with your previous trip? Did you forget something and not tell me?"
"Oh, nothing like that!" Joshua answered. "It's just that, well… I met … I met someone special there right before I returned home."
"I see," said Jason. "Well, it sounds like someone of the fairer sex, and someone whom you would rather enjoy seeing again… am I right?"
"Jason, you're always right!" laughed Josh.
"Well… OK, then. But we need you to hurry back this time, OK?"
"Sure thing! Just write down every little thing you need, and I'll get my horse ready!" answered Josh. He also wanted to send Clara a telegram, so he went into town for a few sundries himself. And a box of chocolates.
After Candy and Biddie were confident in what their roles were in Lottie's 'plan,' all three ladies hastened to the Saloon to catch Mr. Smithers before he left on his morning 'errands.'
In the meantime, Jeremy crept around to Lottie's back door.
Lottie and the girls noisily enter the Saloon, laughing and talking. Mr. Smithers could not help but notice the happy noise. He leaned over the second-floor balcony.
"Oh, hello again, Mr. Smithers! Did you enjoy your extra pancake?" Lottie asked.
"Oh, um… yes - yes I did!" replied Carl.
"Ladies, I'd like to introduce to you, Mr. Carl Smithers."
Mr. Smithers had to go downstairs and be polite, so he closed his bedroom door and hastened over to where Lottie and the girls were standing.
"Why, good morning, ladies!" he said, oozing with charm. Both of the brides did a little curtsy while saying hello. Candy noticed Jeremy creeping across the upstairs hallway to Mr. Smithers' room.
Biddie immediately stared directly at Mr. Smithers. She opined "Oh, Mr. Smithers, you are so devilishly handsome!"
"Me? Handsome? Do you really think so?"
"Why, of course, I do!" replied Biddie. "May I be so bold as to offer you a tour of our fair town? We could take a walk right now…."
"Oh, thank you, Miss Cloom, but it will have to wait. I have some urgent business to attend to this morning." "Oh, that's a shame," Candy piped in. She saw Jeremy coming out of Carl's room, so she turned Mr. Smithers around so he was not facing the staircase. Jeremy had completed his errand and went quietly down the back stairs. "Biddie - I mean, Miss Cloom, is quite the perfect one to give you a tour!"
"Really?" asked Carl. "Well, then, Miss Cloom, where may I call on you later for that tour?"
"Oh, right across the way, in a two-story building called the Dormitory. It's where all the brides live."
"Brides…?" asked Carl.
"Oh, Mr. Smithers, you will have to let Biddie tell you all about the fantastic adventure we all have taken to get here to Seattle from New England. Biddie, let us leave this gentleman to his business for now." She turned Biddie around to exit the front door.
"I need to get my briefcase first, but then may I walk you ladies back to this 'Dormitory?'"
"Certainly!" they both chimed in.
Candy let out a big sigh of relief after Mr. Smithers ran upstairs for his briefcase. "Whew - that was close," whispered Candy. "Biddie, please, PLEASE be careful what you say around this man; we do not want him to get any idea that we are 'on to' him, all right?"
"Oh, yes, indeedy!" answered Biddie.
As Mr. Smithers came back down the stairs, the girls put on big smiles again and walked back with him to the dorm.
Jeremy and Lottie ventured out of the back room.
"Well, I better take the back road to return to camp," Jeremy said.
"Yes, you do that, and pray that Biddie's mouth doesn't run away with her if she does take a walk with that Mr. Smithers!"
Just then, Josh walked in, and asked "Does anybody want anything from Tacoma? Jason needs a few more things, it seems."
"You were just there!" Jeremy exclaimed.
"Yes, isn't that wonderful?!" replied Josh, waltzing back out to get his horse.
Jeremy and Lottie just looked at each other and shrugged.
Chapter 6
Josh almost didn't wait for the buck wagon to stop before he jumped outside and peered into the window at the schoolhouse. Sure enough, Clara was engrossing the pupils in a story, even trying out different voices for different characters! He chuckled a bit at that. The class was not quite ready to be dismissed for the day, so he went off to garner the supplies Jason needed.
When he returned to the schoolhouse, it was time for the children once again to pair up with their families for the trek home. He carefully waited until the last family turned the corner at the top of the hill, then burst into the classroom and announced to Clara; "Miss Clara, your Prince Charming is here!"
Clara looked up with a start at first, but then recognized the handsome blond 'Prince' calling on her.
She sashayed over to him and said softly, "If you are a Prince, Sir, then I must be a Princess….?"
"Oh, indeed you are - the fairest Princess of them all!" He picked up Clara at the waist and swung her around the room. She let out a sparkling laugh.
"Oh, dear Clara, your laughter truly sparkles!" said Josh, in all earnestness.
"Well, your entire Princely persona sparkles every time you enter a room," confessed Clara.
Josh pulled closer and lightly kissed her on the cheek, then moved his face around to face her, and bent down to kiss her lightly on the lips. She did not shrink away. In fact, she held his kiss for a long time, chaste as it was.
As Josh moved away from her lips, he faced her and said, "I cannot believe how lucky I am that I peeked in this classroom window and found a Princess Teacher."
She smiled and chuckled a little.
"Well, if this Prince does not mind helping this Princess pick up this messy room - again - I can treat him to dinner this time!"
"Oh, yes, Milady, whatever you say, Milady!" They then went about their task of making the classroom clean and neat for the next day's adventures.
As they were walking to a different restaurant that was farther away, Josh stopped and explained, "You know, I better find a safe place for this wagon. I wouldn't want even one bit of those supplies to be stolen. Do you have any idea where I might find a secure place around here?"
"Actually, there is one close to the restaurant I had in mind for dinner," Clara said.
"Well then, Milady, let's hop into the wagon and let it take us up that steep hill and around the curve!"
He helped Clara up to the front seat, then jumped in and took the reins.
A few yards after the turn at the top of the hill, they came upon a rather imposing mansion, ornate in all its glory. It was impeccably maintained on the outside, even though you could tell there were many years in its majestic history.
Clara signaled for Josh to stop the cart.
"Here?" he asked, incredulously."Do you know who lives here?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. It is the wealthy family of one of my favorite former pupils." She hopped down out of the wagon and proceeded to knock on the front door.
A butler came to the door, and said, Yes, Miss? Oh, it's you, Miss Clara! We're so glad to see you! Please, come in!"
Clara noticed Josh was staying next to the wagon, quite a bit behind her. Clara smiled at him and said, "It's OK, Joshua. Come in with me to ask about the wagon."
Josh slowly walked up to the front door and introduced himself to the butler.
Clara laughingly added, "Yes, Joshua has been my "Prince Charming" in helping pick up the classroom at the end of the day, whenever he is in town."
Benjamin raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise, yet smiled warmly. "Well, Miss Clara, you'll have to tell the Mister and Missus all about that!"
They all came into the foyer. Josh was trying not to gawk at all the treasures and elegance surrounding him, from the Tiffany chandeliers to the golden-flocked wallpaper.
Just when he was going to ask Clara a question, the 'Mister and Missus' appeared. Clara gave them each a big hug, then turned to introduce Josh. "Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, I'd like you to meet Joshua Bolt, who has made few trips to Tacoma, much to my good fortune. He has helped me clean up the classroom at the end of each day that he has been in town."
"Oh, my! That is extremely thoughtful of you - and not a small amount of work!" said Bonnie.
"It has been my pleasure, Mrs. Fisher. Clara not only has her pupils in the palm of her hand, but I'm afraid she has beguiled me as well. It is I who is the fortunate one."
"Well, come, come, let us have some tea," continued Mrs. Fisher.
"Oh, Bonnie -" interrupted Clara, "We were just on our way to eat out, but Joshua needs to find a safe place for his wagon while we are at the restaurant. He came up to Tacoma to purchase some important supplies, and would not want them damaged or stolen while he is here."
Mr. Fisher piped in, "Well, that is certainly a reasonable request. Come with me, Joshua. I can show you a safe place to store the wagon. Er… would you two mind it very much if Bonnie and I joined you for dinner? We have not had the pleasure of eating out in quite a long time.
Clara and Josh exchanged looks, and with an encouraging nod from Clara, Josh said, "Mr. Fisher, we'd be delighted if you two could join us."
"Oh, Joshua, please call me Joseph." And with that, he ushered Josh out the front door to show him where to safeguard the wagon.
"Oh, my!" exclaimed Bonnie. "He is quite handsome, isn't he?"
"I rather think so," giggled Clara. "I'm so glad you can join us for dinner, too. I'd like you to get to know this handsome Prince, to see if my perceptions about him are in line with yours."
"Oooh - handsome AND special? This shall be quite the dinner treat!"
They heard Joseph and Josh as they entered through the back door, talking amiably. Joseph announced, "All right, then, are you ladies ready to partake of some good food? This restaurant is nearby. Bonnie, dear, would you like to walk, or would you prefer that I bring the carriage around to the front?"
"Oh, I'd love some fresh air!" Bonnie answered. She told Benjamin to get her wrap, and they all went out the front door to walk the few blocks to the restaurant
The End of Part I