More than Exist(28)

I walked into the room that would be my home for the next few months and smiled with pleasure. The queen bed was old-fashioned and sweet, with a hand-made white quilt with red roses adorning it. The furniture was white with iron finishes, and there was a white iron-framed mirror hanging on the wall. I placed my suitcase on the bed and looked out the window, inhaling deeply when I saw the view of rolling hills and the sun setting in the distance.

“It’s beautiful,” I said softly, calm settling over me as I turned to Ms. Lucille with a grin. “I love it.”

“I’m so glad, dear. Luke gave me free reign to decorate this room as I liked, and I’d hoped it would be a good fit for you.”

“It’s perfect,” I assured her.

Ms. Lucille nodded. “Not to rush you along, but we’d best get on with the tour. There’s much to show you before I go.”

I followed closely as she walked me through the rest of the house.

“Here’s where we keep the linens. I like to wash and change Luke and Matty’s bedding each Saturday morning. Matty’s in charge of keeping his own room cleaned and picked up, as is Luke, but I usually go in and dust on Wednesdays, and wash the curtains once a month.”

“Mondays I’ll go to town to pick up the groceries I’ll need for the week, so I write out my menu and list on Sunday afternoon, just to make sure I don’t forget anything. There’s a General Store about twenty minutes outside the gate, but you can only get the staples there; it’s best to get what you need in town on Mondays.”

“Breakfast is at six for Matty, before he goes to school. Luke isn’t always here for breakfast, but he always comes back to walk Matty to the bus at seven. Sundays I make a big breakfast, since that is the only morning that Luke and Matty get to sleep in, I usually have it ready by nine. Pack Matty’s dinner, er … lunch, for school every day, but Luke will usually eat with his Pa, or the ranch hands, so you typically have dinner to yourself. Every once in a while, Hank, Luke’s Pa, will ask you to whip something up for the hands, but for the most part, they take care of themselves. Supper is at seven every day.”

I was starting to think I should have brought a notebook to keep track, when Ms. Lucille pointed to the counter.

“I jotted down some notes for ya.”

“Thanks.”

She nodded and kept on, “Luke has an office here, but he also has one in the barn, off of the bunk house. I keep both refrigerators stocked for him, so make sure you include that on your list. I also like to keep nuts, jerky, and stuff in his desk, just in case he forgets to eat.”

“Friday is your day off. Luke takes Matty into Charleston every Friday night, and every other weekend Matty stays in town with his mother, so they grab supper while they’re there. Once Matty is fed breakfast and on the bus, you’re off duty until breakfast on Saturday.”

Ms. Lucille showed me where the cleaning supplies, laundry room, mudroom was, then we walked back in to the kitchen.

“I wrote down what I’d had planned for supper on Saturday and Sunday, and left you the recipes. You can plan out what you’d like for next week, but I left you a list of Luke and Matty’s favorites, to help you out.”

She picked a recipe card out of the back of a little black box and waved it at me.

“These are Matty’s favorite. He’s a sweet one, but can be shy, so if he’s having a hard time opening up to you, just make these and he’ll be come around. You and he will spend some time together in the evenings. He has to do his homework before he can go help out on the ranch, then Luke will bring him back to wash up for supper.”

I took a deep breath as I tried to absorb everything she’d said. Everything was much more structured that I’d imagined, and I worried about how quickly I’d be able to pick everything up and find my rhythm.

I didn’t want to mess anything up and risk losing this job.

“So, since it’s Friday, Luke and Matty will go straight to town. Matty’s with his mom this weekend, and Luke won’t be home until late, so you may not see him until tomorrow at supper, unless he stops in to see how you’re settling in.”

“That sounds good,” I replied, relieved that I had the night to myself to go over her notes and try to memorize everything I had to do.

“You’ll be fine, Belle,” she assured me kindly. “I left my phone number on there, so if you get into a pickle, just give me a call.”

“I will, thanks.”

I walked her out, thanking her again, then went back into the strange house that I’d be taking care of, smiling even as the nerves came back in full force.