"I'm sorry to add to your workload." "It's fine." Evelyn wiped her hands on her apron thinking, "I can do a roasted chicken with herbs, potatoes, and that apple tart recipe my mother used to make. Will that work?" "Anything will work better than those dry sandwiches she brought."
The words were said with such venom that Evelyn couldn't help smiling. "Not a fan?" "She treats me like furniture. Talks right over me like I'm not there." Mrs. Chen started pulling out ingredients.
"I've worked for Dawson Ridgewell for 10 years. I helped deliver Lily when her mother went into early labor, but to that woman, I'm invisible." "Then let's make sure dinner's so good she chokes on it." They worked together with focused intensity. While Evelyn handled the ranch hands' regular dinner, Mrs. Chen helped prepare the special meal for the main house.
The chicken came out perfectly golden, the potatoes crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, and the apple tart smelled like heaven. "This will do," Mrs. Chen said with satisfaction. "This will absolutely do." Evelyn finished serving the ranch hands and was cleaning up when she heard raised voices from the direction of the main house. She tried to ignore them, but they grew louder, and then a door slammed hard enough to echo across the yard.
Through the window she saw Sarah Mitchell storm out of the main house and practically throw herself into her father's buggy. Her face was red and her mouth was set in a furious line. The buggy pulled away fast, wheels kicking up dust. Mrs. Chen appeared in the doorway of the bunkhouse kitchen breathing hard like she'd been running. "Well," she said, "that went poorly."
"What happened?" "Miss Mitchell made the mistake of insulting my cooking in front of Mr. Ridgewell. Then she suggested he send Lily away to boarding school so he could focus on remarrying properly." Mrs. Chen's smile was sharp. "He asked her to leave."
"Because of Lily?" "Because Dawson Ridgewell might be hard, but he's not a fool. He knows what matters. The older woman sat down heavily. Also, he might have mentioned that the ranch already has an excellent cook and doesn't need fancy sandwiches from town.
Evelyn felt her face heat. He said that? Among other things, some of which were not particularly polite. Mrs. Chen looked at her carefully. You should know that people in town are going to talk about this.
Sarah Mitchell is not someone who takes rejection well. I didn't do anything. Doesn't matter. You're the other woman in the narrative, whether you want to be or not. The warning sat heavy in Evelyn's chest, but she pushed it aside.
She had work to do, and she couldn't afford to worry about town gossip from 20 miles away. Except the gossip came to her. The next supply run, Coop pulled her aside before he left. You should know folks in Red Hollow are talking, he said bluntly, about you and Ridgewell. Evelyn's hands tightened on the crate she was carrying.
There's nothing to talk about. I know that, and you know that. But Sarah Mitchell's been telling anyone who'll listen that you're trying to trap the boss into marriage. Says you're using the daughter to get close to him. That's insane.
Yep, but people believe what they want to believe. Coop scratched his beard. Just thought you should know. Your brother's hearing it, too. How is Thomas?