five

Ben felt quite proud to have Samantha’s hand rest lightly on his arm as they took off down Noble Street toward Division. He was glad she hadn’t been upset when he called her Sam. Somehow that’s the first name he wanted to call her, no matter how womanly she looked.

“What was it like the day you arrived here?” she asked, looking up at him with those big blue eyes.

“When we got here, most of the city lots were taken. Gabe and I kept going up and down streets until we found some empty ones to lay claim to. But it’s worked out well. We aren’t right in the heart of the city, but it’s much better suited for a boardinghouse than downtown would have been.”

“I can see how it would be,” Samantha said as they turned right on Division and headed toward the center of town.

The traffic was already picking up, with wagons and people on horseback heading to work or coming in for supplies. Guthrie was to be the territorial capital, after all, and many people came in from their farms and ranches to do business on the weekends. All the restaurants were busy, and people were going in and out of the many shops in town.

Samantha looked from one side of the street to the other. “With the rain and all, and not knowing my way around, I didn’t realize Guthrie was actually this large a town. One would think it had been here for years.”

Ben chuckled. “It was a mess a year ago. Oh, the vision for the city was pretty good, but the reality wasn’t so good those first days. People laid claims all over the place, and fighting broke out over many of them. But once they got settlers off the streets, it all began to make sense. And they moved fast to put all the planned improvements in place. What they didn’t plan well for was the governing part of it. But it came together pretty fast once they got the right people in office.”

“I’m sure it was exciting to be here at the beginning, though.”

“Oh it was. But things have settled down a lot, and it’s turning into a nice town.” It could use a few more single women, though. Ben would have had to be blind to have missed the admiring looks Samantha had received from one man after another as they walked down the street. She did look quite pretty this morning. She had on a dark-blue skirt and crisp white blouse, and her hair was put up in a very becoming style. He still couldn’t believe this woman had looked like a young man only yesterday.

But as he caught the glance of one more man settle on her, he was glad she had been dressed as a male when she first arrived in the area. The thought of some unsavory character coming up on her in that tent all alone made him shudder.

By the time they reached Harrison, they had to dodge traffic as they crossed the street. A help-wanted sign sat in the window of a laundry, and Samantha headed for it, but Ben stopped her from entering. “That is really hard work, day in and day out, Samantha. Why don’t you see what else you can find? And besides, what about the openings you found in the paper? Don’t you want to check them out first?”

“I suppose I should. I’m just eager to find work. Faith won’t take any money from me until I do, and I—”

“You’ll find a job. Don’t feel you have to settle for the first thing you find. I’m sure you are well qualified for many other positions that might be a little easier on you.”

“Perhaps.” She smiled at him, and Ben’s chest tightened. Something about this woman made him want to reassure her, to protect her and—and he really didn’t know anything about her except that she had the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen and her smile somehow made his day brighter.

“What was it you did up in Kansas?” Maybe she’d open up about why she’d come here on her own.

Samantha hesitated a moment and managed to avoid his question as she pointed at a help-wanted sign down the street aways. “Look—isn’t that one of the places that was in the paper?”

Obviously she wasn’t in a mood to confide in him. “Yes, you’d mentioned that Jeffery & Wright Grocery needed a clerk. Let’s go see if they still do.”

“Then there is the law office of L. L. Johnson on Harrison near the grocer’s. Which one should I look into first?”

Ben’s first thought was the law office because it would be an easier position and she wouldn’t have to stand on her feet all day, but then he realized she might be alone in the office with some man and—

He needed to get a grip on himself. He’d barely met this woman, and here he was, worried about her being alone with some other man. “Either one is fine. Which one do you think you’d like to try first?”

“Let’s go with the one we come across first,” Samantha said.

The law office turned out to be on the other side of the street and the grocer’s on the same side they were on, so they stopped in there first. The manager assumed that Ben was applying for the position, but once he found out it was Samantha, he began to shake his head. “I’m sorry, miss, but there’s a lot of heavy lifting with this job. I’m lookin’ for a strong man for the position.”

“I understand,” Samantha said with a sigh. “Thank you for your time.”

They walked outside, and Ben said, “This job could have turned out to be as hard as working at the laundry, Samantha. I think I’m glad you didn’t get it.”

“Well, I’m not sure how I feel, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Let’s go try the lawyer’s office.”

They crossed the street, again dodging freight wagons, farm wagons, and carriages of all sizes. When they entered the office, a woman at the front desk looked up, and Ben wondered if perhaps they’d already filled the position.

“Hello,” Samantha said. “I’m here about the position that was in the paper for a receptionist. Has it been filled yet?”

The older woman looked Samantha up and down. “No. Not yet, but you aren’t what we are looking for.”

“Might I ask what or who it is that you are looking for?”

The woman looked over her glasses. “For starters, someone not quite so young and pretty. I’ll not have my husband working with you, my dear. I’ll keep working here until we find someone not near as attractive as you or until a man applies.”

Ben noticed the color that crept up Samantha’s cheeks as she inhaled sharply. “I can assure you that I am not after a married man. . .Mrs. Johnson, I presume? In fact, I’m not after a man at all. I only want work.”

“Please don’t take this as an insult to you, dear. A high compliment instead. And realize that I know my husband quite well. I wish you luck in finding employment.”

“Thank you,” Samantha said, resignation in her voice. “I wish you the best in finding the right person.”

Ben was impressed with how Samantha squared her shoulders and turned to leave without a backward glance. But once they got outside the office, she turned to him.

“How sad for her that she can’t trust her husband. I guess I always assumed that once a person was married they stayed in love and didn’t stray. At least that’s how it was with my parents and grandparents until the day they died. But I’ve found that isn’t true for many, and it breaks my heart.”

“It is sad.” Ben nodded. He agreed with her view of marriage, but he wasn’t sure what to say next. The state-ment she’d made about not being after a man at all had him wondering why and thinking she might have been disillusioned somewhere along the way. At any rate, it didn’t encourage him to bring up the subject of courting. At least not now. And what was he thinking, anyway? He still really knew nothing about her except that she had no family, she’d left Kansas, she needed a job, and she wasn’t looking for a man. That wasn’t nearly enough information to be able to conclude that they’d be right for each other.

❧

Samantha and Ben next tried a drugstore that had advertised for help. But the position had been filled by the time they arrived, and she was beginning to lose her optimism.

“Don’t get discouraged, Samantha. Think of it this way—did you really want to do heavy lifting at the grocery store all day? And I don’t think you are the kind of woman who would want to be chased around your desk by a married man.”

“You’re right. But what about the drugstore? That job wouldn’t have been hard, and other people worked there—”

“Oh but you didn’t get turned down there. The position was already filled. You can’t count it.” He smiled.

Samantha laughed outright. “Okay. I won’t count it. I could try the laundry—”

“Sam, do you really want to do laundry all day? I’d think all that heat and steam would take the curl right out of your hair. ” That earned him a small chuckle. “Come on. Cheer up. I’ll buy you some lunch.”

She sighed and nodded. “All right, I will take you up on your offer provided that you let me buy you lunch when I do get a job.”

He heaved an exaggerated sigh and said, “Agreed. And you will get one.”

Samantha took the arm he proffered, and they headed down the street. She had to admit that being accompanied by Ben Thompson made the rejections not quite so bitter as they might have been if she were alone. He had such an encouraging nature that it was hard not to feel better.

He took her to Miller’s Restaurant, where he said he knew the proprietors, and true enough, they greeted him as a long-lost friend and gave them a nice table by a window.

“We don’t see much of you when you come to town, Ben. Guess that sister of yours feeds you real good over at the boardinghouse.”

“That she does, Mrs. Miller.”

“And who is this lovely young woman you’ve brought with you?” Mrs. Miller nodded in Samantha’s direction. She could feel her face flush as the older woman appraised her.

“This is Miss Samantha Carter, who is staying at the boardinghouse. She’s looking for work in Guthrie.”

Mrs. Miller’s eyebrow lifted. “Oh? What kind of work are you looking for, Miss Carter?”

“Well, after seeing how few positions are available right now, I’ll take about any respectable job. We inquired at the grocer’s, but he wanted a man. And we tried at a law office, but I think they’d be happier with a man, too—”

“She was a little too attractive in the wife’s opinion.”

Mrs. Miller threw back her head and laughed. “I can see where she might be, but that certainly wouldn’t hurt her chances here.”

“Here?”

Samantha looked around just as Ben did. The place was very busy, and she could see how Mrs. Miller might need help.

“Look around you, Ben. I can’t keep good help, and I could sure use another waitress or two, especially with all the people coming to town next week for the celebrations. I can always use more help here. Most of the single women marry pretty quickly out here, and their husbands don’t want them working around all these men, so turnover is very high here in Guthrie.”

“You really need help?” Samantha said.

“I do. Have you ever waited tables before?”

Samantha shook her head. “No. But I learn quickly.”

“When could you start?”

“Wait!” Ben said. “It’d be about as hard to work here as it would at the laundry or the grocer’s, either one, Samantha. You’ll be on your feet all day. Are you sure—?”

“I’m quite sure, Ben. I need work, and Mrs. Miller needs help.” She looked up at the woman with a smile. “When do you want me to start?”

Mrs. Miller looked from her to Ben and back again. “I could use you now—”

“Mrs. Miller, she only arrived yesterday, and tomorrow is Sunday—”

The proprietor grinned and looked back at Samantha. “How about you start on Monday? Can you be here by eight in the morning?”

“I can. I’ll be glad to start on Monday. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Wear a skirt and white shirtwaist, similar to what you have on, and I’ll provide an apron. Now, what can I get the two of you? I recommend the chicken potpie.”

“That will be fine with me.” Samantha settled back in her chair, trying to take in the fact that she actually had found work.

“I’ll take that, too.”

“I’ll have it out right away,” Mrs. Miller said as she turned away.

Ben didn’t look too happy when she left the table. “I really wish you’d have waited a few days before taking this waitress position, Samantha. Like she said, she always needs help. You could be passing up a really good position you haven’t even seen yet.”

He really did seem upset. Samantha truly believed he had her best interests at heart, but she had to have work and the sooner the better, the way she looked at it. At this point, she was thankful that Mrs. Miller hadn’t asked her what her last position had been. It’d been all she could do to avoid answering Ben when he’d asked what she did in Kansas. If he knew that she’d been a teacher, he would be even more upset at her taking this job. But the semester was just starting and there wouldn’t be any need for a new teacher right now. And she wasn’t sure—

“Don’t you think you could put her off a few days and. . .”

It was only when Ben continued that she realized she hadn’t said anything to put his mind at ease. “That wouldn’t be right, Ben. I’ve already told her I’d take the job. Mrs. Miller seems a very nice woman, and if another position came along, I’m sure she would wish me well.”

He sat back in his chair and sighed. “You’re right. She would. And she’ll be good to you. Besides, it really is your decision to make.”

“Thank you. I do appreciate your concern for me.” And she did. But she didn’t want him feeling responsible for her just because he’d rescued her the other day. He certainly didn’t owe her anything. She was the one who owed him her very life.

❧

Ben tried to hide his frustration, but it wasn’t easy to do. He didn’t like the idea of Samantha working here. It wasn’t that the Millers wouldn’t be good employers—they would. And it wasn’t that he didn’t think she was up to the job—she was.

It was more that every man in the place had been finding it hard to keep their eyes off her, and he was finding it every bit as difficult to hide how he felt about that. He’d glared at more than one of them already. But Samantha seemed oblivious to the admiring looks she was getting.

“I don’t want you working any harder than you have to, and I feel sure you could find something else.” He nodded toward a waitress who was balancing a large tray full of filled dishes above her head. “Those trays can get pretty heavy.”

“I’m not a weakling, Ben.”

“I know. I just. . .” He wanted to tell her that she couldn’t work there, but he didn’t have that right.

“And I won’t stop looking, Ben. But I don’t want to turn down a job I know I can do. Please understand. Besides—”

“I know. It is really none of my business.” And it wasn’t. But deep down, he kind of wanted it to be.

“You saved my life, Ben Thompson. I’m not about to tell you to mind your own business. But I will tell you that if it gets to be too much, I’ll quit. How’s that?”

Her expression was so earnest Ben had to smile at her. “I suppose it will have to do.”

Mrs. Miller brought out their potpies and waited until they’d both had a bite. “How is it?”

“It’s wonderful,” Samantha said.

“It’s exactly like I remembered, Mrs. Miller,” Ben said.

“Good. Enjoy. And I’ll see you on Monday morning, Miss Carter. . .or maybe at church tomorrow. Good day.” She left a ticket on the table and went back to work.

They enjoyed their meal in silence for a few moments, and then Ben said, “Well, since you have a job, I suppose we can spend the afternoon showing you the rest of the town and how to get from the boardinghouse to wherever you want to go.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

Ben didn’t know if she was thanking him for offering to show her around more or for dropping the subject of the waitressing job. But as he looked into her blue eyes, it suddenly didn’t matter. “You’re welcome.”

He’d have to trust the Lord to look after her, because it was obvious that Samantha Carter had a mind of her own.