As she stepped into the butcher shop, Bonnie took a good look around. It was one of the cleanest shops she had ever seen which spoke well of its owner and possibly his employees. In fact, the main reason she was here was because of one certain employee.
Mrs. Wentworth, her own employer usually made the trip here to get meat for the household but today, Bonnie had volunteered to go instead. Having only been in Kalispell for a few weeks, she hadn't had much time to really see the town as getting to know her two charges was her main priority. The invalid Ruth, who was still recovering from the injuries she had received seemed cheerful enough despite her circumstances. Bonnie had the feeling that Ruth was hiding something but since they were only new acquainted, it wasn't the time to go asking.
Her other charge presented her with a different problem. When she had arrived she was informed about the events leading up Bridget taking residence at the Wentworth home. One name kept cropping up where the poor girl was concerned and now it was time to find out what his real intentions were. This was something Bonnie needed to know so that she could help make the right decisions where Bridget was concerned.
Since there was nothing she could do until someone came out from the back, she just stood there and waited.
Brendan was in the middle of hacking through a cow in the back room when he heard the bell on the door jangle to announce the arrival of a customer. After tidying up a little and wiping his face and hands on his apron, he emerged into the front.
"Howdy, ma'am." He nodded to the woman standing by the counter, sizing her up the way he'd been learning to do with customers. Not rich, but not poor either. Not old, but not young. And--he leaned over the counter to see her hand--not married, so no children, which meant she'd need less meat.
"What can I get for ya?"
Now here was a woman he wouldn't mind flirting with a little if it made her purchase more. She wasn't shrewish like Mrs. Wigfall and didn't look to be the type to feel up his muscles, although her calm blue eyes did have an appraising look in them.
Bonnie took a good look at the man who had come into the room. Since Mrs. Wentworth had told her that the only other people who worked in the store was the owner and his son who was no more than twelve, it was safe to assume that this was Brendan Connolly. She could see why Bridget would be completely enamoured of him but in her books that wouldn't be enough. The main reason for this visit was to learn more about his character and what type of husband he would make.
Since she was relatively unknown still (having not venture out much since she arrived as she wanted to get to know her charges), she would have a better chance of seeing what he was really like. Mrs. Wentworth had remarked that this might be the only time to see what he was really like.
Going up to the counter, she smiled, "Good morning, I'm new in town and I can't decide if I should get beef steak or a roast for dinner tonight. What do you recommend?"
If Brendan knew who Bonnie was and why she was visiting the butcher shop, he would have been much more cautious about the way he acted, and would have tried his best to make a good impression. But, of course, Bonnie was just another customer to him, so he didn't try to act any more refined than he normally would.
He twisted his mouth as he considered Bonnie's question. "Well, now, I think that depends on if you've got potatoes or not. If you've got 'em, get the roast, 'cause potatoes and roast are a match made in heaven." He grinned. "If you don't have potatoes, get the steak."
As long as no one asked him about serious things, Brendan loved giving advice and would give it unprompted, especially when it came to meat. So Bonnie's question didn't catch him off guard, it just primed the pump if she had more questions about what meat to buy.
But it also primed the pump for him to ask a question of his own, because that was the friendly thing to do.
"You said you were new in town?" he echoed, resting his hands on the counter. "How do you like it here so far?"
@JulieS
"I like it fine," Bonnie replied, "It is very different from Washington where I lived a good many years. I think I like the wide open spaces most of all."
Bonnie still didn't know what to make of the man she was here to assess. So far he hadn't done anything to make her think he wasn't capable of taking care of Bridget but then again he hadn't done anything to say that he was. She needed to test him further to see what type of man he really was.
Going up to the counter, she smiled, "Roast and steak are good and safe choices but what if I want something different? What would your recommendation be?
Brendan's smile faded as the woman's words reminded him of a not-so-recent time when he'd been able to ride under that wide-open sky every day. And he'd given it up, for the sake of his skin and for Bridget. Bridget, who he hadn't seen in what felt like forever. He'd risked Crabbe's anger, the wrath of the Evergreen ranch, and his livelihood for Bridget, only to have her stolen away by the Wentworths.
He mentally kicked himself for turning philosophical. This was not the time or the place for it. He had a customer...who hadn't decided what she wanted yet.
Did the lady want to buy anything or not? Brendan tapped his fingers on the counter and stared at her, then shrugged. He could be patient up to a point. He hadn't reached that point yet, so he could humor her for a while. And there was no one else in the store waiting to be served, so he could afford to let her take her time and make a few more suggestions.
"How 'bout ribs? They're different."
He would save other suggestions in case she didn't like the idea of ribs. There was no reason to waste his breath when she'd already nixed two of his suggestions.
"Hmm...I still don't know what I would like. All of your recommendations have been good," Bonnie said in a soft and quiet tone. She still didn't have enough information to make a decision about Brendan one way or another. It looked she would need to do a little probing.
"While I think on it a bit more, maybe you could tell me something about Kalispell? As a newcomer, I still have so much to learn about the town," she smiled, "I'm guessing you've been here a while and you would know most people as they come in here to buy meat. Perhaps you could tell me something about who I should and shouldn't be seen with."
@ [Bailey
"Huh?" Brendan frowned in confusion, then shook his head and corrected himself. "Uh, ma'am? I mean, who you're seen with is up to you, ain't it? But if you really wanna know..." He frowned thoughtfully.
"First there's the Steelgraves. They've got one of the biggest ranches around, the Evergreen. You don't wanna run afoul of the Steelgraves." He shook his head, thinking of how narrowly he'd escaped running afoul of them. "There's the Thorntons; they own Lost Lake Ranch. It's almost as big as the Evergreen."
This lady probably didn't care about who had the biggest ranch the way he would. What would she find interesting?
"Oh, you need a place to stay? What's-her-name...uh, Wigfall, she runs the boardin' house." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of the boy-crazy Mrs. Wigfall and moved on to pleasanter things. "There's the hotel and the bank, both run by the Wentworths." He tried to keep his expression blank. The Wentworths, who had stolen Bridget away in the name of caring for her.
Those thoughts were ungenerous, he knew, but he'd promised Crabbe to look out for Bridget and couldn't do that now. But the very fact that the Wentworths had taken Bridget in was a testament to their character.
"Haven't been around the Thorntons much, but their ranch has a better reputation than the Evergreen. And then the Wentworths seem like fine people," he admitted grudgingly. "Bankers are always handy to know." He leaned forward conspiratorially with a grin.
"I actually got this job because of the Wentworths. I need it 'cause of 'em."
He'd really needed the job before the Wentworths ever entered the picture, but their involvement had prodded him into actually getting a job and sticking to it.
"Oh, you need a place to stay? What's-her-name...uh, Wigfall, she runs the boardin' house." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of the boy-crazy Mrs. Wigfall and moved on to pleasanter things. "There's the hotel and the bank, both run by the Wentworths." He tried to keep his expression blank. The Wentworths, who had stolen Bridget away in the name of caring for her.
"No, I have somewhere to stay but thank you for the suggestion."
"Haven't been around the Thorntons much, but their ranch has a better reputation than the Evergreen. And then the Wentworths seem like fine people," he admitted grudgingly. "Bankers are always handy to know." He leaned forward conspiratorially with a grin.
"I actually got this job because of the Wentworths. I need it 'cause of 'em."
"Because of them?" Bonnie frowned, "Do you them owe them money or something like that?
She took a deep breath, "Oh, I'm sorry for being so forward. It's just your remark intrigued me a little as from what I know of you already, you don't seem like the type who would be beholding to anyone. You've been very patient with me while I decide what to buy."
Brendan shrugged. So much the better for him if the blonde, beautiful Bonnie already had lodging. It would make it easier for him to keep his mind on Bridget.
Did he owe the Wentworths money? Now there was a question. At the moment, the answer was no. But would they ever want to be repaid for their care for Bridget? Sure, they'd taken Bridget in as a ward based on Crabbe's will, but to Brendan that only meant that the Wentworths were people who did their duty to society.
He grinned and shook his head. "No, I don't owe 'em money. And you're right--I hate bein' beholden to people." His grin disappeared as he tried to figure out how to explain what he meant. It was really no business of the woman's why he needed money or how the Wentworths were involved, but she did deserve an explanation for his ambiguous statement.
"Well, see...the Wentworths are lookin' out for a girl. And I intend to...to come courtin' her. But the Wentworths bein' such respectable folks, I couldn't do that 'til I had a decent payin' job." He spread his arms and shrugged. "So I'm here."