"The St. Charles sounds perfect, and I'll be sure to be ready before seven!" Getting up early was something she was accustomed to...had been accustomed to...
"Goodness, I've been spoiled!" She laughed. "Running the cafe, I had to be up so early, well, before dawn. By seven, customers were coming in." Shaking her head, she patted Barnabas' arm. "Marriage is making me soft, I'm afraid! It's going to take some adjustment to get back to a routine, and then the baby will come along and I'll be up all hours, so it won't really matter. What are the horses' names?"
"Names? Far as I know they got no names. So if you want ta name 'em you surely can." He said with a smile. "Fella told me once when I asked his horses name, why would you name somethin' you might have'ta eat?" He winked. "Good thing you bought all them supplies ain't it?"
His citified manner of speech was slipping back to the more leisurely manner he was more comfortable with. They would e heading out come the morning, and he was ready to be away from the suits and brogans, not that he had really minded those clothes, but for Pronto Pike, it would be good to feel his gun belts around his waist again, though there would be a new pair of canvas pants under his shotgun chaps, and a new shirt over his long handles, it would be good to feel at home once more, battered leather jacket and all.
Entering the St. James Hotel he smiled, this would be that last lap of luxury for some time to come. The house might qualify, but unless they spent the night at the Belle-St. Regis, this would be it.
He walked up to the desk and said, "The best room you've got."
"Oh, heavens!" Etta exclaimed about eating horses, until she realized he was just teasing her. "Oh, Barnabas, that was mean! I could never!" But then, who could tell what you would do for survival. After all, there had been those poor immigrants trying to get to California thirty years ago, who had resorted to unspeakable things after getting stuck in the snow...and then that realization made her all the more anxious to get home before there was any chance of snow in the high country.
"I'll have to get to know them better before I can name them," she mused, "although I probably won't tell them what you just said!"
They were a little under-dressed for the place, but no one cared if you had money, and soon enough they were in their room -- rooms -- and Emeline let out a little sigh. "I'll miss some of this," she declared, "but in the mean time, I'd like a bath and then supper," she gave him a sly look, "and not necessarily alone!"
"Yeah I could use a bath myself, but I just got my range clothes to change to, so it'll have ta wait til we're on the trail." He said, not failing to catch her suggestion. "An' besides, that tub in there ain't hardly big enough for two, though I 'spose I could use that water when yer done." He grinned.
"Hard to believe we're on the trail again. I mean, I understand about all'a this fancy livin' we been doin' the last couple months, an' it's been a grand time. You an' me have done some great things but what I got to tell you is, there's more ta do, way more." He mused. "We got the ranch, and even with hands workin', it'll be a chore! There's things we can do to make life better in Kalispell though. Miss Steelgrave, now, she's on the right track when you think about it."
"Oh, all right, bath alone." Emeline stuck out her lower lip in a pout, but then chuckled. "Of course you can use the water, so you can smell like lavender, too!" And she certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to have a leisurely bath. Sure, she could do that at home, but the 'leisure' part was ruined when you had to draw, heat and carry your own water before, then drain and clean the bath after!
"After my bath, we can have supper and discuss what we can do for Kalispell, then maybe a short walk? I'd like to see the capital building, if it isn't too far...and the mint." As long as they'd been by the mint in San Francisco, they may as well take a gander at the one here, and besides, she found it fascinating to think that coins were made in those buildings!
Lavendar? Thanks, I'll just use the sink." He declined, "They'll need to bring heated water up, but that shouldn't be a problem." He said, and yes, then we can talk about what we can or should do once we're back and settled in. The mint? just down the street, the Capitol, just up and across the street maybe half a block. Both are somethin' to see."
He sat on the edge of the bed, "Flushin' toilets. We'll be sittin' on a board with a hole in it when we get back, all this luxury that most of the folks take for granted. Runnin' water we've experienced since Portland, we'll be pumpin' out of a well. Hard to believe I'm lookin' forward to gettin' back there, but I am. Don't get me wrong, all of this has been grand. But it's time to wake up from this dream. Time to get back home."
"The luxury is nice, but it doesn't seem like a way to live," Emeline commented, "although a pump right in the kitchen would be nice, and I don't suppose I'd mind an indoor toilet, once we get other things settled." In fact, that would be really nice, especially in the Montana winters, but she was certain actual indoor plumbing was very expensive, and there were other things that they needed to see to before something that was a luxury.
"I don't think this dream is going to end even after we're home." Hugging him, she rested her head on his chest. "I think the dream is being married to you, having children and a ranch...this has been fun, I've loved every minute, but I can't wait to be home, to start that part of our lives. I've no doubt it's going to be amazing, but I'm grateful I'll have this to look back on."
Maybe, one day, they could travel again, and that would be something to look forward to, but for now, life back home in Montana was going to be exciting enough!
"Dream Darlin'? No idea what you mean by that. This is no dream, not at all. You and I are here, soon, we'll be there. We are well off, and there is much good we can and should do in our town. Actually, more than was I a deputy. And I may not be one, there may not be time to ranch and deputy." He paused, "The choice will always be home first, then Kalispell. You and the children, those to come, will always be my choice. I see no other way."
The decision came to him suddenly as he loaded the wagon, Em, the ranch, and all those things had to come before anything else, though he would not leave Speed in a lurch, somehow this had to be done equitably, and the truth of the matter was, he hated to leave Speed with just Charlie who was still learning, and learning quickly, but inexperienced. That was the problem, even with Cook and McNue.
Emeline had never had any doubts about Barnabas' priorities, although she realized that the way they were implemented might change over time, as the ranch and family grew, and part of his heart lay with law enforcement. She wasn't going to take that away from him, time would likely do that anyway. Regardless of what exact path they ended up taking, it would be the right one for them, and it wasn't something they could lay out now or ever.
Refreshed from her bath, Emeline put on her traveling dress, a simple skirt and wasitcoat, and twisted her hair into a braid. She felt a little under-dressed for the restaurant downstairs, but she didn't care, she was comfortable, and besides, it was easier with her pregnancy to not worry about bustles and draping of satin.
"I'm not sure what to do about supper," she told Barnabas with a grin, "this is the last chance for an extravagant meal, but that just means we'll have to start getting used to regular food again. And on the trail the food is going to be even more basic." Not that she couldn't make great meals while they were on the road, but the constraints of time and supplies would limit what she could do. "So, splurge, or start getting used to normal fare again?"
"You have what you want, all you want/" Barnabas said. "It is the last hurrah sortta. Though we'll be havin' a lotta them hurrah's and you know, if we need to come back here on business, why, that's what we'll do. Fact is, we can go pert near any place we want to, any time we want to. We can stay home if that's what we want to do." He laughed, let's go ta dinner an' then the mint afore she closes. Not sure we can take a tour, but it don't hurt to ask."
"Now, I've sampled your trail fixin's, Missus Pike, an' that'll be just fine by me. I'm a lucky man, I am, a woman that can cook like the way you do, an' we'll have fresh game as well. I can still hunt for meat when it's necessary. Yes Ma'am, gonna be good to get out there, on the trail, might be the last time we take such a trip, then again. Who knows?" And for him at that moment that was the truth, there was no way of knowing what lay ahead for them.