"There you go, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy it. I will check back in a bit to see if you need anything else or need more coffee," she informed the pair then turned and headed back into the kitchen.

"Thank you Ma'am." Rip said before Ty's mouth even opened. "This looks real good!" And with that the boy dug right in. It seemed that the special was a half-pound steak, with fried potatoes, and green beans. One steak cut in two saved money and filled the bill for supper. Though most men ordered the full pound of local beef. The difference in price was a good fit for Ty's budget, what with the hotel bill he faced.

"Might stand some more coffee though." He added looking at the almost empty cup.

"Gosh, you are doing one fast and yet proper job on those dishes. I do not think I can even compete with your speed. Your mother must really appreciate such a hard and competent worker at the boarding house," she complimented the girl, trying to make up for having hurt Jemima's feelings earlier. Quite unintentionally too.

"Oh, it's just practice and application. The main thing is to give em a good hard rub with the dishcloth, but not so hard you break the crockery. I've got strong hands, you see. I can break a dinner plate in half, just like this:" she held up a big round plate, as if she was going to snap it like a cracker "Don't worry, I won't snap it, just showing you." she assured Clara. 

She finished the last plate in the bowl.

"I'll dry these ones up before I start to wash the next pile. Then there'll be room on the drainer" she told Clara while the latter was making up Ty and Rip's coffee, then added "You're doing an amazing job running this place on your own. I hope Mrs Pike appreciates it when she gets back." She shrugged "It might be hard for you just to go back to being her helper after being the boss for so long. Maybe she'll just stay in that fancy big ranch they're building up out by the falls there." she wondered out loud. 

"Then you and Jake could stay here and run the place, 'til the baby comes." she nodded at Clara's tummy as the busy young woman took out the coffee for Mr Thornton.

@[Wayfarer]

Flip

"Couldn't be finer, Ma'am. Now maybe we could stand uys another cup of yer coffee, while we clean these plates." Ty said, although they were actually bowls which had held the rich tasting stew. "Mighty fine."

"Yes 'um, was really good. Better'n what the two of us coulda put together." Rip added, as they did make their own meals up at the mine, and sometimes it was with whatever came to hand. Beef, venison, wild potatoes, and other vegetables there to be found and used. They were actually getting really good at cooking for themselves. Though there were misses in the culinary department.

"Be in for breakfast, staying the night then plan on ridin' out to see the Marshal, see how he's makin' out." Ty added in the conversation. "Hope he's comin' along just fine and all's well in the healin' department."

That caused Ty to smile and Rip to give them both an odd look, romance was still not first on his list of priorities, though pretty girls did tend to turn his head for some reason, He was just becoming a young man and one that at his age was beginning to have interest in the opposite sex. Yes, he was now two years into his teens, but the murder of his entire family had stunted some of the things he might have already discovered about life, about himself, and about his feelings about and his relationship with females. It would happen fast enough though, since it had already started.

"Speed and Miss Fletcher ought to have married by now, had it not been for the wound at the hand of a coward." Ty stated, "But you are right about him, and I barely know 'im, Speed Guyer is strong the way he's pulled through that ordeal, well, as far as what I've heard, don't get a lotta news out to the Copper Queen." He was sorry that all trace of the shooter had been lost and for all intents and purposes, he had vanished.

"Ma'am, there was a rumor that a Case Steelgrave  had lit out after the shooter, any truth to that?" He asked, realizing she may know as much about it as he did, but the cafe was a hotbed of gossip, rumor, and innuendo much the same as the saloon.

Jemima got on with drying the dishes. She liked to dry 'em till they sort of squeaked: that way you knew they were really dry. There was a warm satisfaction in stacking the clean, dry plates in a nice tower and then picking it up and carrying it over to the shelf where it belonged: all ready for the next use for the hungry diners tomorrow. 

When that was done, she got some clean water to start the next pile.

Oh, if only life could be like a pile of dirty dishes! A certain, satisfactory result, as long as you put the effort in. But no matter how she struggled and strived, she never seemed to get any place. 

"Pardon me for asking, Ma'am, just thought you may have heard folks talk. My apologies." Ty said not meaning to upset the woman, though it seemed he already had. "Guess you an' I oughtta be on or way, Rip, lots ta get done, supplied ta secure an' such." and there were a few things that Ty wanted finished before the morning and the ride to see Speed.

"Ma'am, gotta say. excellent fare, a fine meal, and our thanks, whadda I owe yeah?" He asked.