April 10
It was a shame really, that the exit to the outhouse was so close to the phone station. Lee's voice came from the ear piece in hand as she bent to the side to accommodate someone exiting the mercantile to use the privy.
"No everything's fine dear. Just a bit busy here at the moment." She watched as another man exited and two more men came inside. To say it was 'busy' was the understatement of the year.
Lee sighed from the other side of the phone line. "Thanks for checking in, Rosie. I hate to admit it, but I've been worried sick waiting for your call."
"Oh tish tosh." She used the phrase Dottie had recently coined. "Everything is humming along just perfectly." She turned her back to the busy entering and exiting of men and women, who like her, had required the mercantile's services out back.
"And the gas? You were able to reload it okay? I hate that it needs to be refilled so often."
"It was fine." The line was quiet. "Truly."
"Okay, darling. But just give me the word and I will be out that way in a jiffy."
She rolled her eyes. "Just because I am miles away from Hope Valley in my condition does not mean I am in dire need of rescuing, Leland Coulter. I am capable of taking care of myself. Plus I have Dottie and the girls."
Lee laughed. "I knew you would say that. But promise me if something doesn't feel quite right, even in the slightest, that you will call me straight away. I can be there in less than 2 hours. If I take the motorbike, an hour and a half tops."
She giggled as she imagined him driving at top speed on his motorbike to come and retrieve her. "And how, prey tell, would you manage to take me home? Would I ride on the back of the motorbike or maybe you would teach Dottie how to drive it back home so we could take the Model T?" She giggled again at the mental picture it brought to mind.
Lee didn't share her amusement, instead his voice held that edge of doggone overprotectiveness. "You know I would do what I needed to, Love."
Somehow, his protectiveness still managed to rub her the wrong way. Yet it was his way of showing love. "I promise I will call you if I have need."
"You know I love you." Lee's soft voice traveled through the line.
"Yes, that I am sure of. I love you, too. See you tonight. Good-bye."
She placed the earpiece back in its spot alongside the telephone box, thankful that the hustle to the outhouse had waned the last few minutes of her call. It was time to get back to her friends, to the revealing of her surprise gift. She simply couldn't wait to see what type of cradle they had picked out. She turned around, surprised to see two rough men standing behind her, gazing at her.
"Oh, um… excuse me." She scooted past them, her heart racing. She hadn't heard them approach. Were they, like so many others, simply looking for the exit to the outside services? The way they were standing there, just looking at her, unnerved her. Had they listened in on her conversation with Lee? Her cheeks went pink. What a fool she was— giving away the specific detail that herself and the ladies were on their own on their journey in Edmonton. She would be sure to keep an eye out the rest of the afternoon. She shook the dust from skirt out as she walked, wishing she could simply shake away the odd feeling she got around the two men. She always had good intuition about people… and something about these two was not adding up. Yet, her intuition had been off as of late. Something about the pregnancy seemed to complicate even the easiest of intuitional matters. Yes, perhaps that was what was happening here. She was simply over-reacting, like her friend Florence was prone to do. The men were just nonsensical in their curiosity. Mere country bumpkins. After all, Edmonton did receive its fair share of rural men and women, unaccustomed to being in town not to mention being in the presence of a lady. Yes, that was all it was.
The larger of the two swiveled around, and offered her a smile with a missing tooth and stained tobacco teeth. "Telephone?" He motioned to the box behind her.
She nodded. Yes, country bumpkins to be sure of it. The man couldn't even put together a string of words to form a sentence. She walked back into the main part of the store, and glanced around for her friends. Dottie was talking to the mercantile owner at the counter, and both Molly and Florence already had a small basket secured on their arms, adding various items here and there as they walked about the large Edmonton mercantile. Florence caught her eye and hustled over.
"Oh, good," Florence linked her arm in Rosemary's. "There you are. Dottie said not to waste another minute!" She took off at a clipped pace towards the store's counter, where now both Dottie and Molly waited. They both gave a relieved sigh that she had finally appeared.
"Sorry, ladies," she walked up to the counter, "I had to run to the outhouse and then phone Lee."
The ladies nodded their heads in understanding, but looked relieved she was present and accounted for before the revealing of her surprise gift.
Dottie smiled. "Hans is in the back fetching it now."
She could feel the excitement rising in the three ladies next to her. She practiced her surprised reaction numerous times upon her trip to the outhouse. She was ready for the performance. And, quite truly, she did feel touched by the women's sweet consideration. These three ladies, with hardly an income between them, had managed to buy her something not only of physical value but of emotional value. The tear that came to her eye had nothing to do with a performance.
The mercantile owner, with his back to them, was hauling something quite sturdy out of the back room. He grunted as he shifted it into place. Naturally, all the women circled around. In the middle of the floor sat the most perfect handmade cherry wood cradle.
Rosemary couldn't help herself. She walked towards it and stroked the beautiful, smooth wood with her hand. "Oh, it is just exquisite." She couldn't help the tears that had gathered in her eyes.
"Well, we knew that Lee worked overtime making the first cradle, but with the news of the second baby we knew you would need an additional crib. Hans here has some of the best craftsmanship. Look at the detail." Dottie ran her hand along a line of intricate hand carvings composed of hearts and… were those carved music notes?
Rosemary looked closer. They were! She laughed. Her friends truly knew her. "This couldn't be more perfect. Thank you." The words came straight from her heart. The ladies grouped around her, and there, in the middle of the Edmonton Mercantile, they shared a group hug.
She swiped the last tear from her eyes and turned back to the cradle and back to Hans.
It was Florence's turn to finger the elegant cradle. "Hmm… it sure is large. How ever are we to get it home in the car? We are already as packed as sardines."
"Not to worry, ladies." Hans lifted up a portion of rope, "I can have one of my boys attach it to the back."
Rosemary let her hands linger over the masterpiece. "Oh, please do wrap it gingerly. I wouldn't want anything to happen on our way back to Hope Valley."
Hans nodded. "Aw-yep. Will do."
"Thank you Hans." Dottie waved to him. "We will take a few more minutes to look around for fine establishment." She led them to the fabric area, passing the two country bumpkins who were camped out by the hardware section across the way.
Rosemary squeezed Florence's arm extra hard as they gathered around the fabric table. "Flo, have you ever seen those men before?" She whispered.
Florence looked around the mercantile. "What men? There's at least ten men in the room right now."
"The ones who just came in… at the next table."
Florence looked over her shoulder again. "No, I can't say I ever have seen the fellows. Looks like some hillbillies to me."
"Oh!" Dottie squealed. "Look at this lace! Isn't this just the thing we were looking for?" She held out the sample to Rosemary.
Rosemary fingered it absently.
Molly leaned in. "Oh yes, it's perfect for Elizabeth's dress."
"Let's buy it and surprise her!" Dottie already swooped the roll up in her arms.
Although the receiving of the cradle had momentarily distracted her, Rosemary still couldn't shake the odd feeling that had spread over her ever since the men had walked into the room. She peered at them from under her lashes, if she could just get one good look—
Florence placed a hand on hers. "Are the men bothering you? Should I mention it to Hans? I am sure he will handle the matter for us." Her eyes sparked with compassion.
Rosemary shook her head. She didn't want to make a big scene of things, especially when her intuition had been so off here recently.
"You are sure?"
Again, Rosemary nodded.
Florence fussed with the lace. "I'll keep a look out. But in the mean time, we are here, now, in this wonderful trove of fabric and laces! Could you imagine a better place to be? Let's make the most of it." Florence picked up a handful of various lace scraps and let them fall to the table joyfully. She laughed and it was contagious. Rosemary laughed herself.
"You are right. It is a wondrous place to be with my three best friends." She moved towards the next table, filled with sewing notions. Molly had already gathered a small basket full and Dottie's arms overflowed with the items she'd gathered.
Dottie gave her a crooked smile. "I'm going to go fetch a larger basket."
"Oh look at this!" Molly and Florence each selected matching pale yellow suede fabric and laughed.
"Perhaps we will have to make matching gloves." Florence said placing it in her small basket.
Dottie returned with not only one large basket but two and held one out to Rosemary. "I think you ought to fill this up with items for the store. You always have had good taste."
She took the handle of the basket. "Alright. I won't argue that." She suddenly did feel more celebratory. After all, this was her special day with friends, and nothing, nothing would get in the way of that. "I do see tons of items I would like to take home, but with the babies arrival I'm not sure how much I will actually be sewing."
Dottie nodded. "It is understandable. But it is always good to have items on hand just in case isn't it? Take this for example—" she held up a piece of burgundy suede. " I can't wait to get it under the sewing machine at the store once we return home. It will just make the most darling handbag, don't you think?"
Rosemary dropped the lace she was holding. "Oh dear. I just realized… here you are settled back in your home and I haven't made any effort to return your sewing machine. I am sure you are missing it."
Dottie waved the piece of suede at her. "Oh fiddle faddle. You know I am just a short walk from the store. I have been using the new one we got there."
"I never did understand why you ordered a new one for the store. Your original sewing machine… it is your heirloom. I am sure you are wanting it back most urgently." Rosemary knew if it was her machine, she would be anxiously awaiting its return.
"Oh in time. For now, why don't you keep it at your new house? After the babies arrive you may find that you need a creative outlet… and sewing… it is just the thing."
Rosemary lifted her eyes. "Okay, well, I will keep it a mite more if you are sure."
"Truly." Dottie waved her hand around. "Quite honestly it is an old thing and surely doesn't operate nearly as well the new machine at the shop."
Rosemary quite liked the feeling of the old machine opposed to their newer one. The pressure of the foot presser as the fabric guided through and the feel of the old treadle— it was just right. If Dottie wanted her to keep the old sewing machine longer, she wouldn't argue it.
"The new machine—" Dottie's eyes sparkled mysteriously, "it is a very special gift to me from an old family friend."
Rosemary's interest was peaked. An old family friend? The only person in town who would match that description would be— "Do you mean Gowen?" She gasped. Had Gowen truly bought Dottie a new sewing machine? If so, it was safe to say the man had more on his mind than just assisting an old friend. He most likely was interested in much more—
"Excuse me." One of the country bumpkins knocked against the table near her as he fetched a piece of lace off the floor. "You dropped this ma'am." He offered the lace to her, his teeth flashing with filth and stink. She jumped, taken aback by how near the unnerving man was to her and her group of friends. She must have looked shocked, for Florence stepped in front of her and grabbed the lace.
"Thank you." Florence stood her ground until the man moved on, but Rosemary could feel his eyes on her even as he walked away. She was downright jumpy. Something simply did not feel right. Although it was a wonderful time with friends all she wanted to do now was to get home.
Dottie leaned forward and placed a hand on Rosemary's. "You are as pale as a ghost! Come sit down."
"I would like to sit down… just not here." She craned her neck around trying to see if the men were still present in the shop.
"Oh, I have just the thing!" Dottie pulled a paper out of her handbag. "Let's stop in and get 'a scoop of the best ice cream in these parts'." She quoted the paper advertisement she was holding.
Molly nodded. "Perhaps it would be good for your blood sugar."
Florence linked arms with her. "Yes, let's. There is nothing a scoop of ice cream can't cure."
The ladies walked to the counter to make their purchases.
Rosemary hoped her friends were right, because the way she saw it, no amount of icecream would chase this odd sensation away.