Helen Myers - Almost a Hometown Bride

In her clunky boots, shawl and too-large jacket, Merritt felt frumpy bringing up the rear as the other waitress advertised herself by swaying her hips all but shrink-wrapped in a leather skirt. How Nikki managed to work the night in those open-toed, four-inch heels was nothing short of miraculous, but she didn’t miss an opportunity to show off a pedicure any more than she did her other assets.

By the time Merritt set down her tote, and shed the shawl, jacket and boots, Nikki was back up front. Relieved, Merritt tied her sneakers, then went over to Alvie at the grill as she tied on her apron. “Looks like it will be busy despite the weather.”

“You okay? How are the roads?”

“Already bad. Someone kindly gave me a ride.”

“Good. Not a stranger?” Alvie asked, giving her a brief, stern look. “You watch for strangers even in these parts, Miller Moth. Especially in these parts.”

To hide her guilty expression, Merritt turned to the tote to unpack. “You’re going to love the cheese sticks. That new cheddar your supplier recommended works so well. I think I actually prefer them to the Parmesan.”

“Knowing how much you love them, that’s something. Bring me one when you finish—and tell Nikki to push the soup now that we have them. Did you have time to make the corn bread? Chili is moving tonight. No surprise there.”

“Yeah, I heard Nikki served the last of them. I have two dozen muffins, which should get us through tonight easily enough.”

“This weather makes people overindulge. If they keep inhaling the freebies the way they are, I’m going to have to go up on our prices. Everything okay at the house? You have enough wood? Did you leave the cabinet doors open under the sink before you left to try to keep the pipes from freezing?”

“Not to worry. It’s all set.”

“Child, you amaze me. I should have told Leroy to get his lazy backside over there earlier in the week to at least get the wood situation taken care of, but you know how he is. I’d be spending the rest of the week nursing his aches and pains instead of my own. And to add to the truck’s battery problems, this afternoon he found a tire’s gone flat.”

Merritt might not own a vehicle, but she knew they required regular attention. A tire could go flat if the machine wasn’t driven once in a while. Her bemusement turned to guilt as she realized that she’d let Alvie think she’d done everything herself. But as Cain had said, she’d only be making things difficult for both of them if she admitted he handled the difficult work and heavy lifting. So she finished unpacking and got out front as soon as she heard more diners arrive.

It was almost eight o’clock when Nikki’s boyfriend drove his silver, diesel, three-quarter-ton pickup into a parking spot up front and tapped the horn lightly. Only three customers lingered over dessert at that point. Nikki waved to Josh and ran in back to tell Alvie she was headed off for the night.

“See you when I see you,” Alvie drawled. She already had her area cleaned up and had begun her prep work for the morning.

It was general knowledge that maybe Nikki would be in and maybe she wouldn’t. It depended on how deep the snowfall was by morning, and whether the female alley cat ever got to bed—or, rather, slept once she made it there.

In typical Nikki fashion, she stopped just outside the door and squealed at Josh, waving her hands in the air like a fictional maiden in distress. Merritt watched in quiet awe as Josh exited the warm cab to sweep her into his arms and carry her to the passenger side of the truck. No way was Nikki going to ruin her high heels, let alone plunge her bared toes in freezing snow. It would never cross Nikki’s mind to bring a change of footwear—like boots—to work. Merritt had heard her say on more than one occasion that a man had to be trained from the start. If he wanted a show pony, he had to deserve one, and that cost attention as well as money.

Poor, foolish Josh, Merritt thought as the truck backed out of the slot. She caught a customer’s signal and went to retrieve their ticket. By the time she brought them their change, Cain had entered.

He glanced around at the remaining diners, then took a counter seat at the far end of the kitchen. Merritt guessed he was still in no mood to be sociable and wanted to stay out of sight of the kitchen.

“I thought you’d given up on the idea of dinner,” she told him as she brought a glass of water, silverware and a menu.

He ignored the menu and the question and asked, “What’s the hottest thing Alvie has back there?”

“Chili or the soup. Today’s is chicken-vegetable. With noodles, not rice or potatoes,” she added. Sometimes customers had a preference.

“I’ll take the chili if you meant it about saving some bread for me?”

“You get corn bread with that, but I’ll fix you a basket with a little bit of everything. You want to stick with water or are you up to a little more coffee? We also have hot tea or chocolate.”

“Coffee.”

Since he’d chosen the seat he had, she didn’t prolong their conversation and resisted asking him where he’d been keeping himself for the last three hours. By now she’d convinced herself that he’d headed for the interstate and might be halfway to Helena, or maybe even en route to Idaho or Wyoming by now. Could he have parked in back and waited out the traffic in here? It was odd that he’d managed to miss Nikki and Josh.

Alvie wasn’t pleased when Merritt arrived with an order ticket. But she relaxed when she learned it was for chili, which Merritt scooped into a bowl herself.

As Merritt moved to the container of grated cheddar, Alvie inspected the chili pot. “There’s only a cup left in here.” She reached for a cup. “You didn’t eat two bites for dinner. Throw some cheese on this and swallow it quick before you head up front again.”

Merritt demurred. “I really don’t need beef in my system at this hour. Cain has a lumberjack’s appetite, I’ll give it to him.”

The shrewd woman did a double take. “That’s Cain out there? What’s he doing hanging around town? I thought he went back to the reservation this morning.”

Merritt prepared a basket of the breads for him and tucked in two portions of the herbal butter. “It doesn’t sound as though he’s staying. He learned that his grandmother is dead. Did you know that?” Her boss usually was up to speed on all the news in town.

Alvie winced. “I did not. Didn’t know her personally, either, but she seemed to be a steadying influence on him. What a rotten welcome home. Poor guy can’t get a break.”

Heartened by that generosity, Merritt saw the opportunity to come clean about today. “He stopped at the cottage when he left here. He was checking around when I got home. He said he was looking for a place to rent.”

“More than likely hunting for something to hock. Did you have a problem chasing him off?”

“I started to until I saw who it was. Then I didn’t see the need. I don’t think he’s a thief, Alvie. He just remembered the place as empty. It was an honest misunderstanding.” Merritt decided she needed to know everything. “Alvie … the stove problem? He fixed the damper for me. He also restocked the wood inside and the stand on the porch. On his way back from the reservation, he gave me a lift.”

Alvie’s plump face went through several transitions before she puffed up her cheeks like a blowfish. “What do you mean letting a stranger in the house, young lady?”

“He’s not a stranger,” she whispered back, hoping the older woman would take the hint. “You and Leroy know him.”

“But you don’t. And none of us have a clue as to what all has happened to him since he was put away. I declare, Merritt—”