Chapter Three

With the train rush gone, the Harvey House girls still found plenty to do. There were railroad men and townsfolk to feed, as well as tables to set and other jobs to be tended. Gretchen had her hands full making sure the girls stayed on task, but her biggest job had been avoiding Dirk. She didn’t know how to deal with him. Her heart told her that she was still very much in love with him, while her mind reminded her that ten years had passed between them without a word of explanation.

“Why, Miss Katiann, what are you doing here?” one of the local cowboys asked as the child made her way to one of the counter seats.

“I came to see Gretchen. How are you?” She arranged her cotton dress.

“Oh, you know, busy. Hot and busy.”

Katiann nodded and leaned her elbows on the polished mahogany counter, then put her chin in her hands. “Where’s Bubba D.? You guys are always together.”

“Had to see to a pool game.”

“He’s pretty good.”

Felix laughed. “He’s the best, and you know it.”

Gretchen decided to interrupt. “Katiann, what brings you to the Harvey House?”

The girl turned to her with a heartwarming smile. “I haven’t seen you for a long time.” She turned to Felix. “Do you know Felix? He has horses that swim.”

Gretchen smiled at the cowboy. “Don’t most horses swim?”

“Sure, but his like to swim. They swim all the time in the river. He’s got a couple that are so strong, they can swim against the current.”

Felix nodded. “It’s true.”

It had been nearly a week, and Gretchen had known she wouldn’t be able to avoid Katiann forever. Thankfully, Gretchen only had to be in San Marcial for another week or two. “Well, I think that’s wonderful, but you didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

Katiann cocked her head to one side as her eyes narrowed. “I did answer. I said I hadn’t seen you in a long time. That’s why I’m here. I was worried you were sick. You left so fast when we were at the river, I figured you had a stomachache or something.”

“I’m just fine, but I have a job to do and not a lot of free time.”

Katiann shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to work at night. I asked my daddy, and he said you could come have supper with us.”

Gretchen felt her cheeks warm. That was the trouble with having a fair complexion. Every moment of embarrassment was a public announcement. “I, ah, we’ll see.”

The door flew open, and a tall skinny young man bounded inside. He had dark hair and piercing eyes that took in the entire room as if assessing for danger. “Felix, aren’t you done eating yet?”

Katiann leaned forward. “That’s Bubba D. He works on the ranch with Felix, but he plays pool and makes more money slickerin’ the other fellas out of their wages.”

“Now, Katiann,” Bubba D. began, “it ain’t slickerin’ when a fella is just playin’ better than everybody else. Ain’t my fault they can’t play as good as me.” He tousled her curls, then took a seat beside her and picked up the menu. “Guess I don’t have much time for lunch. Just pack me up five ham sandwiches. I’ll eat ’em on the ride back.”

“Five sandwiches?” Gretchen asked, looking at the skinny kid. “Are you sure that’s all you want?” She tried not to sound sarcastic. It was hard to believe this young man was going to eat five of Harvey’s big ham sandwiches. Why, the ham alone was sliced half an inch thick.

Bubba D. grinned. “I’d get some pie too, but it’s too messy to take with me.”

Katiann nodded. “Bubba D. eats a lot.”

“Yep, and then I work it right back off. You ever try breakin’ horses, Katiann? It’s hard work.” He pulled a bottle of soda from his back pocket.

The child shrugged and looked at Gretchen. “All the boys work hard around here. J.B. says if a fella sits for more than a minute and isn’t workin’, the devil himself will show up to find him a job.”

Gretchen smiled. She remembered some of the old men in town imparting similar proverbs when she was Katiann’s age. Some things never changed.

She got Bubba D.’s sandwiches for him while he finished off his soda. He and Felix paid, then headed out just as a group of men entered. They wore business suits and looked like railroad officials. The last man to come through the door was Dirk.

“Daddy!” Gretchen moved away from the counter as Katiann jumped from the stool. She ran to her father but waved to one of the other men. “Hey, Mr. West.”

Gretchen recognized the San Marcial railroad superintendent, B.A. West, but the other men were strangers. That wasn’t unusual. Men were always coming to visit from offices elsewhere. The men took a seat in the dining room, and Gretchen breathed a sigh of relief when Molly, one of the other Harvey Girls, jumped into action, taking drink orders.

Gretchen finished her duties at the counter and hoped to slip away, but it wasn’t to be. Molly came toward her, looking concerned. “Those men are from Kansas City. There’s some sort of inspection and audit going on. Can you help me?”

“Of course. What do you need me to do?”

“Would you go take their orders while I get the drinks? I’ll serve them, but they’re in a hurry.”

Gretchen nodded. “I’ll take care of it.” She made her way to the table, avoiding Dirk’s gaze.

Katiann was having an animated conversation with Mr. West. “Why can’t a girl be a hogger?” she asked.

Mr. West chuckled. “Why would you want to be an engineer on a train? It’s hot and sweaty in the summer and will freeze your bones in the winter.”

“Yeah, but I think it would be fun to stick my head out the window and feel the wind in my face as the world flies by.” She swished her curls back from her face to demonstrate. The men all laughed at this.

Gretchen smiled. Leave it to Katiann to put everyone at ease. “Welcome to the Harvey House, gentlemen. What can I have prepared for you today?”

The men gave Gretchen their orders one by one. They were used to the fare offered at the Harvey Houses. By the time she worked her way around the table to Dirk, she could hardly breathe. He’d been watching her the entire time.

“And what would you like, Mr. Martinez?” She tried to look over the top of his head rather than meet his eyes, but it was no use. Dirk had always had a power over her that made ignoring him impossible.

As their gazes met, Dirk gave her his lopsided grin. His brows rose in challenge. “There’s a lot of things I’d like, but I used to come here with the prettiest lady. It was about ten years ago. We always ordered the same thing.” He looked at the men seated around the table. “We were creatures of habit, I guess.”

The men laughed. Gretchen knew exactly what they’d ordered but gave him a completely blank look as he returned his gaze to her.

“I’ll have what I had then.”

“And that would be what?” she asked in a sweet tone. She wasn’t going to admit that she knew he wanted meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

He roared with laughter, which only further unnerved her. She thought about leaving, but with these important railroad men here, she didn’t dare. Unfortunately, Katiann chose that moment to leap out of her chair in order to look out the window at a wagon passing by. Gretchen startled and whirled around. She knew the minute she lost her balance exactly where she’d end up.

Dirk easily caught her as she hit his lap, but when he tightened his grip on her arms, Gretchen knew he wasn’t in any hurry to let her back up. “Are you all right?” he asked with mock concern.

She nodded, knowing that if she dared to turn her face, their lips would be only inches apart. “I’m fine. I’m very sorry, sir.” She tried to emphasize the formality.

“That was a good catch, Dirk,” Mr. West declared.

“I’m sorry, Gretchen.” Thankfully, Katiann took Gretchen’s hands and pulled. Dirk no doubt wished to avoid any more of a scene and let her go. “I didn’t mean to make you fall.”

“I’m fine.” Gretchen smiled at Katiann. “I tell you what. You get your daddy’s order while I go put in the rest. You’ll be my Harvey Girl in training. It won’t be as exciting as being a hogger, but you’ll work every bit as hard.”

The men loved this and laughed heartily while Gretchen made a hasty retreat. She could still feel Dirk’s arms around her. Smell the scent of the same cologne he’d worn on the last night they’d been together. It was as if ten years had never passed.

Later that day, after her work at the Harvey House was completed, Gretchen couldn’t get Dirk out of her head. She knew it would be best to confront him and hear what he had to say, but she wasn’t sure she could bear to have his reasons for rejecting her put into words.

After bathing and changing into a lightweight cotton blouse and skirt, Gretchen made her way from the Harvey House, not really knowing what to do. After wandering for a while, she decided to search out one of her childhood friends. She’d asked around and learned that Nellie Harper had married her long-time love interest, Mark Campbell. They had moved up and down the Santa Fe while Mark did various jobs, but two years ago they had settled in San Marcial once again.

Their house was on the other side of New Town, but not at all far. Nothing was that far in San Marcial. Gretchen found the adobe house quite pleasing from the outside. Nellie had always been artistically blessed, and she’d made a beautiful arrangement of colorful clay pots to line the walk to their door. Flowers had a hard time growing here, so she’d arranged ceramic figurines in each pot to add additional color and interest.

Gretchen knocked on the screen door. A dark-haired boy of about eight or nine answered. “Hello,” Gretchen said. “Is your mother at home?”

“Nope. She and Pa are out visitin’.”

Disappointed, Gretchen gave a nod. “Would you tell her that Gretchen Gottsacker stopped by and that I’m working at the Harvey House? If she has time to visit, I’d love to see her.”

“Gretchen who?”

“Just tell her Gretchen, her friend when she was little. She’ll know.”

The boy scratched his chest and nodded. “I’ll tell her.”

Gretchen thanked him and made her way back toward the center of town. There were a lot of people out. It was Friday night, and no doubt there were dances and parties to be had, just as there were in the big city. She tried not to think about how lonely the evenings were, but when she saw happy couples arm in arm, those feelings couldn’t be avoided.

Lord, I don’t know what to do. I didn’t know he’d be here. I didn’t know I’d still care.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Gretchen knew she still cared. She’d tried for nearly ten years to convince herself otherwise—to tell herself that her romance with Dirk had been nothing more than childish love—but it wasn’t true. From the first time they’d met, Gretchen had known he was someone special. She’d felt certain they belonged together.

“So why do I feel that way, God, if that isn’t how You arranged it?”

She remembered so many times when she and Oma had prayed for her future husband. Oma had started when Gretchen was a little girl. Every night before bed, they would pray together, and her grandmother always asked God to save Gretchen’s heart for just the right man—a godly man who would love her for the rest of her life. When Gretchen met Dirk just after she turned seventeen, she thought God had answered all those prayers.

Like most people, Dirk had come to San Marcial with the railroad. Having grown up here, it seemed only natural that Gretchen should find work with the railroad too. Almost as soon as Oma died, Gretchen made her way to Albuquerque and then on to Kansas City, where she trained to work in the Harvey Houses. She’d always anticipated returning to New Mexico, even if she hadn’t wanted to return to San Marcial. She loved the arid land and scenic mountains. She had worked in various locations along the line but had enjoyed the city of Santa Fe the most. And now she was back in San Marcial. She’d come full circle in more ways than one, and still she had no idea what to do.

Without looking where she was going, Gretchen picked up her pace and stepped from the boardwalk in the fading light, only to plow headlong into a man coming from the opposite direction. The minute his arms went around her, however, Gretchen knew it was Dirk. As their eyes met, Gretchen realized she was in trouble. He gave her that grin—the one she could never resist—then kissed her soundly on the mouth. For a moment Gretchen thought she might be able to resist his touch, but a second later her arms went around his neck.

When he pulled away, the grin was gone and a serious expression had settled on his face. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.”

Gretchen opened her mouth to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. She swallowed. “I have to go.” She turned on her heel and all but ran the rest of the way to the Harvey House. It was only after she was safely behind the door of her room that she let herself think about what she’d just done.

Now he’d know she’d never stopped loving him. Now he could hurt her all over again.