I'm simply reconsidering my capabilities. Good. Doubt keeps us humble. He set the bundle on the table and unwrapped it, revealing a worn cookbook. This belonged to my mother.
She used it when she was first married before she had help. The recipes are simple but good. Margaret picked up the book reverently. The pages were stained and notes filled the margins in a feminine hand. Texas receipts for the frontier wife read the cover.
Your mother lived on a ranch. My parents had a small spread outside San Antonio. Nothing like this. They were what you'd call respectable folk. My mother was raised in New Orleans, came to Texas as a bride.
She used to say the stove nearly defeated her those first months. A distant look crossed his face. But she learned, even came to love it in time. "What happened to them? " Margaret asked softly.
Jake's expression shuddered. Comanche raided when I was away at college. I came back to ashes and graves. He cleared his throat. The book's yours to use.
Mind you, take care of it. He was gone before Margaret could respond, leaving her holding the precious cookbook and understanding a bit more about the shadows in Jake Caldwell's eyes. The morning flew by as she studied the book. The recipes were indeed simple with helpful notes. If the dough seems dry, add sweet milk one spoon at a time.
This burns easy. Watch close. Jake's favorite, extra cinnamon. That last note in fading ink made her pause. Jake's favorite written by a mother who'd never seen her son grow to full manhood.
By noon, she'd managed to pack lunches for the Range Riders. Cold biscuits, properly baked this time, dried beef and dried apple slices she'd found in the pantry. The kitchen was clean, and she'd even started bread dough rising for dinner. She was elbowed deep in flour, kneading the second batch when she heard commotion outside. Through the window, she saw several cowboys gathered around someone on the ground.
Her heart lurched as she recognized Tom Bradley's sandy hair. He was the one down, clutching his arm. Without thinking, Margaret ran outside. What happened? Horse spooked and threw him.
One of the men explained. Think his arm's broken. Bring him to the kitchen, she ordered with an authority born of years as a doctor's wife. Carefully now. They carried Tom in and set him on the bench by the table.