Charlie brushed a piece of hair from her face, smearing some flour across her cheek. “What do you mean?” Gesturing towards the table covered with various baked and unbaked bread, she looked over their work and shrugged. “Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“Well, menfolk tend to expect something special on a day like today. You want to bake him a pie?”
“What day?”
Ruth edged closer. “Valentine’s Day, you dolt.”
Charlie gave an apologetic smirk. “And just who would I be making a pie for?”
“You don’t fool me an iota… all calf-eyed when you think no one’s lookin’.” Ruth’s grin grew impish. “And we all saw him staring, all hot and bothered, at you during the Christmas Hoedown. Heard he threatened another suitor.”
“Who, Nathaniel?”
/> They both burst out laughing so loud Sheriff Cormac looked in the window to see just what the two girls were giggling about now.
When the man moved on to tend to his chores, Charlie shook her head and explained, “If you think he’s the type of man who is going to buy me a card, you’re dead wrong.”
Ruth shrugged. “That don’t mean you can’t do it right. Train him up, as it were, for next year.”
Next year? The thought Matthew Emerson might still want her in a year made her heart flutter… then ache. It was gonna be only a matter of time before he wised up and ran her off.
“Why do you look sad all of a sudden?” Ruth’s small hand came to her arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Charlie.”
She forced a smile. “You didn’t. And it’s sound advice. Men do like to eat.”
“And those Emersons, they eat the whole dang pie in one sitting. Have you seen Eli? Proud as a peacock as he shovels it down.” Ruth snorted and saw the sparkle back in Charlie’s eye. “What do you want to make him?”
Charlie looked uncertain. Matthew might not appreciate the act, might get moody or embarrassed if she publicly gave him a treat… but something in Ruth’s words was wise.
Charlie wrung her hands, feeling like it might be a mistake. “I’ve kinda wanted to make his mama’s chocolate icebox pie.”
An encouraging wink came to her friend’s face. “Good thing we have all the ingredients to make it.”
By the time they were finished Charlie’s arm was sore from beating whip cream. But it was a beautiful thing, that pie—far better than anything she’d made before.
“Now go home, gussy up, put on some perfume and give him this pie.” Ruth nudged her out the door, eager to get to work on her own gift for Eli.
Walking into Devil’s Hollow with her basket of fresh baked bread, Charlie found the grill rather busy. Putting the bounty away, Charlie carefully hid the pie out of sight, unsure if she was supposed to give it to Matthew directly or just leave it out for him to find when he came home. Either way, she was feeling mighty foolish and just went upstairs to clean up like Ruth had told her.
An hour later, she was in a dress she knew Matthew liked, her hair fluffed up, and her lips freshly rouged. Sitting at the counter, she read the paper, looking up with a smile once she heard Matthew and Nathaniel return.
A packet of letters was tossed on the counter before her, the envelopes hitting the bar with a snap before a gruff voice stated, “These were at the post office for you, Charlotte.”
With only a cursory look her direction, Matthew walked to his office and shut the door.
“Well, aren’t you gonna open ‘em?” Nathaniel asked, easing up to the bar to spy.
Perplexed, she picked one up. “I don’t know. What are they?”
“What are they?” He shook his head and smirked before reaching for a fresh jar. “You got valentines, girl.”
Her finger poked at the three different envelopes, wondering if one was from Matthew. With a little blush, Charlie reached for the least fancy of the bunch. Nathaniel was watching her so closely she gave him a glare, but opened the letter and slid out a pretty card from James Thompson. The next was from Martha and Beau with an invitation to visit for Easter. The third was from Tommy.
“Get any good ones?” Nathaniel asked, reading over her shoulder.
Happy, Charlie gestured towards the best of the bunch. “Martha sent me this one.”
“And just who sent the other two?” Nathaniel reached across her, snapping them up and peeking inside. “My, my, looks like James Thompson is smitten with the new girl in town… Look, there is even a hand-written note: ‘For the prettiest girl in Monroe’. Awww, don’t that just beat all.”