River's Song - The Inn at Shining Waters Series Page 16

  "Well, I'm not exactly penniless." She stood a bit straighter." My mother left me a little something." Of course that little something was shrinking fast. "And I do have this land."

  "I'm sorry." He rubbed his chin. "That must've sounded insulting. I didn't mean to insinuate you were broke."

  She smiled now. "The truth is, my resources are dwindling. That's why I need to get this inn up and running as soon as possible. Just having your mother renting the cabin is truly a godsend."

  "Have you questioned your mother-in-law about your financial situation? Have you asked her to explain why you receive no pension or stipend or anything?"

  "When I question this, she's quick to remind me of how much she's given Lauren and me. She points out how she took us in, and how we'd be destitute without her. And I must admit Eunice keeps Lauren dressed in the finest. Also, she bought her an expensive convertible and has offered to cover all of Lauren's college expenses. I could never do any of those things."

  He just nodded, but his expression was doubtful.

  "You think I've been foolish, don't you? Allowing my motherin-law to chart my course without really knowing what's going on." She bit her lip.

  "I'm not sure what to think."

  "Well, you're right to think I've been foolish. The more I consider everything, the more I'm sure that I've been extremely foolish."

  He looked directly into her eyes now. "I think you've been very trusting, Anna. And I think you've been so put upon that you probably never had a chance to question if you had any other options. I will control myself from expressing my opinions about your mother-in-law. But I'm curious, wasn't there anyone else around—family or friends or someone—who could help you to figure these things out?"

  Anna remembered the time she'd been on her way to see the lawyer in Pine Ridge. She told Clark about how Eunice had convinced her it was a complete waste of time and money." And, as usual, Eunice reminded me that I couldn't afford to pay for a lawyer anyway." Anna shrugged. "Which was true."

  "But some lawyers would work pro bono on a—"

  "That must be Henry!" The sound of a boat engine rumbled as she hurried to open the front door. "He must have brought my deliveries from town." Relieved at this interruption, she hurried down toward the dock. She knew that Clark had probably made some valid points just now, but it was very unsettling to think about those things.

  She waved and greeted Henry as he maneuvered his boat alongside the dock. Clark stepped up, grabbing the rope and securing it like he'd been doing it all his life.

  "Boy, am I glad to see you," Henry said to Clark. "I was feeling sorry I didn't bring a boy along to lend a hand. Getting all worked up that Anna and me was gonna have to unload and haul all this merchandise into the house ourselves." He jutted his thumb back to where a stack of well-wrapped mattresses were piled. "Looks like someone's gonna be sleeping good tonight. Does that mean you're gonna stick around a while?"

  "I hope so," she told him as they started unloading.

  He opened the bag and sniffed. "Well, thank you!"

  It didn't take long, with Clark's help, to get everything taken to the right places. Anna hurried into the kitchen as the men carried the last mattress up the stairs and into Anna's old room. Gathering the leftover huckleberry muffins into a bag, she went out and handed them to Henry. "Thank you so much," she told him.

  As they walked back down the stairs, she took the opportunity to explain to Henry why she'd purchased "All them beds"As he put it.

  "A river inn's a good idea," he told her.

  "Of course, it won't be open right away," she said as they stopped on the dock, waiting as Henry climbed back into his boat and Clark untied the rope. "But I'll let you know when it does open." Even as she said this, she felt serious doubts. In all likelihood the inn would never open. Not without bathrooms; not without money.

  "You do that, little lady, and I'll help get the word out for you." He waved as he put his engine into reverse and backed away from the dock.

  "They say word-of-mouth advertising is the best kind," Clark told her as they walked back to the house.

  She sighed. "Not that I'll be needing it. I mean since it's feeling more and more unlikely that this place will become an inn."

  Hazel was walking toward them now. Anna looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was nearly one. Where had the morning gone?

  "I'm sorry, I lost track of the time. But I'm on my way up to start lunch right now,"Anna assured her. "It should be ready in about twenty minutes or so."

  "No hurry," Hazel told her. "I thought I'd take a little walk to stretch my legs."

  "And I'll get back to what I was doing," Clark said. "If all goes well, your house will be fully connected to power before sundown."

  "That's wonderful,"Anna told him. "I won't miss the sound of that generator growling one bit." Of course, she might miss doing the dishes by kerosene lamplight, although she supposed she could continue that tradition if she really wanted. Or perhaps, if times got hard and she was unable to pay a power bill, she would be forced to. That made her curious as to how much a power bill would be. And there was telephone too. Perhaps Clark was wise in suggesting she make a budget. There was so much she didn't know or understand about finances. All those years of allowing Eunice to handle so much had probably crippled her more than she realized. Anna remembered how she'd been grateful for Eunice's help early on. With a toddler and sick husband to care for, plus the housekeeping in general, it had been a relief not to juggle finances as well. But now she realized that even if her ignorance had been blissful at times, it had probably been rather expensive in the long run.

  18

  Readjusting to her mother's old methods of doing laundry had been a challenge at best. Even with the electricity fully connected, the old wringer washer felt archaic compared to the automatic machine Anna had been accustomed to using in her mother-in-law's sleek laundry room. The late model GE appliance with all its dials, buttons, and settings, combined with its matching clothes dryer, may have spoiled Anna forever.

  Still, she reminded herself as she rearranged the soggy sheet to go through the wringer again, she'd rather wrestle dripping sheets and towels through the wringer and peg them on the clothesline than return to her old life with Eunice. In fact, she'd rather wash her clothes in the river, pounding them on the rocks like Grandma had done than to go back to Eunice's "modern conveniences." Of course, Anna realized that rainy days, which were common in this part of the country, could put even more of a damper on this already tedious chore. Plus if she ever had real paying guests here beyond Hazel, who was easy to please, she would need to provide them with fresh linens on a fairly regular basis. How was she going to handle that?

  "Hallo?" called a familiar voice.

  "Babette!"Anna yelled back. "I'm in the laundry shed!" She stepped out of the lean-to her father had built long ago and waved.

  "Oh, there you are." Babette came over and joined her." Hard at work too."

  "I don't know how Mother managed to do laundry out here for so many years." Anna swiped her forehead and caught the last of the sheet, carefully setting it in the basket to hang later. She turned off the wringer and shook her head. "This is hard work."

  "Oh, your mother, she never use this old machine after your papa die, only once in a great while."

  "How did she do her laundry?"

  "She wash her clothes in the kitchen sink and she hang them in the house to dry. Then when it ees a bright sunny day, she come down here to wash sheets and towels sometimes. But she no like this old machine either. She call it the Monster."

  Anna laughed. "I'll have to call it that too."

  "Clark is still here." She carried the heavy basket out to the clothesline. "He's putting up a lamppost this morning, between here and the cabin, to make it a little safer at night. We think we've had a bear roaming about here lately and the light might help to keep him out of harm's way."

  "Your handsome handyman ees here, no?"

/>   "Ees the electricity working now?"

  Anna nodded as she gave a sheet a snap then flung it over the clothesline. Babette handed her a clothespin. "Even the cabin has power now. Can you imagine what Grandma would say?"

  Babette chuckled. "Maybe ees good she ees not here to say anything."

  "But I think she'd approve of what I'm doing." Anna snapped a pillowcase now. "I think she'd like the idea of making this place open to others."

  "Oui. I think she like eet too. Your grandmamma, she liked people. Always wanting to help. You know, Anna, I wrote down some of her herbal medicines. Do you think your friend Hazel would be interested?" She handed her another clothespin.

  "Why don't you ask her?"Anna reached for a towel. "In fact, why don't you stay for lunch?"

  "I would like that. And perhaps I can ask your handyman some questions."

  "Of course."

  Babette helped Anna hang the rest of the wash then continued up to the house with her. Then, without asking or being asked, Babette rolled up her sleeves and began helping with lunch preparations. As always, Anna enjoyed working with Babette and she appreciated the cheerful chatter and hearing the river news that her French friend was so expert at collecting.

  "The Flanders' baby ees so beautiful," Babette told her as she sliced a tomato, one that she'd brought from her own garden. Makes me wish I had children so I can be grandmamma."

  "I still feel sad that my mother didn't get to see Lauren more."

  "Ees no good to live in the past, Anna. Your mama, she love your letters, the photographs you send, eet make her happy."

  "Hello!" Hazel called as she came into the house. "Something smells good in here." She greeted Babette and peeked at the sauce she was stirring then sighed happily. "I feel as if I have fallen into a fine feathered nest," she told them. "Someday The Inn at Shining Waters will be so popular that there will be a long waiting list for guests."

  Anna laughed. "I hope you turn out to be right." She didn't mention that the idea of running a successful inn seemed more impossible now than ever.

  "I was telling Anna," Babette said to Hazel, "I wrote down some recipes for herbal medicines from her grandmamma. I thought perhaps you would like to see."

  "Oh, Babette, I would love to see them. Would you mind if I copied them down?"

  "Not at all."

  "I'd like to copy them too,"Anna told her.

  "I will bring them with me next time I come."

  Now Babette began to reminisce about the early days on the river, telling them about when Anna's parents lived in the small cabin that later became the back room of the store. "We were so young and happy, Oscar and Marion, Bernard and me." She sighed as she turned off the flame beneath the sauce." So long ago."

  "I sometimes forget that my parents lived in that small room,"Anna admitted as she poured coleslaw dressing over the chopped cabbage.

  "Because you were only a baby when your papa built the big store."

  "Since we are talking family history," Hazel began, "I still have some unanswered questions about timelines. Perhaps you and Babette can help to fill in some blanks for me."

  "Certainly," Babette assured her. "I am happy to help."

  So they agreed that following lunch they would sit down with Hazel and share whatever they could to help her with her thesis. Before long, Clark joined them and as they ate lunch, Babette explained the project she needed doing at her house." Ees this something you can do?" she asked hopefully.

  He nodded. "Sure. But I have a suggestion. Instead of remodeling your bathroom, have you considered building an additional bathroom?"

  Babette's mouth twisted to one side. "Another bathroom?"

  "Adding another bathroom increases the value of your home, plus it allows you to have the use of the older bathroom while the addition is in the works. Lots of people are finding that two bathrooms are handy."

  Babette giggled. "But eet ees only me in the house."

  He smiled. "Yes, but if you have guests or if you sell."

  "Or," she held up a forefinger, "if I marry again."

  Anna was surprised. Would Babette really remarry? At her age?

  She shook her finger at Anna now. "Do not look so shocked, chérie. There ees man in town. You never know." She chuckled." Where there ees life there could be love."

  Hazel laughed loudly. "I like the way you think, Babette."

  Clark cleared his throat, almost as if uncomfortable—and Anna certainly was—then he mentioned that it looked like deer had gotten into her garden.

  "Oh, dear," she exclaimed. "Did they eat everything?"

  "Not everything, but I think they enjoyed themselves."

  "My mother used to have the same problem. In fact, she used to have a fence, although that seems long gone."

  "Your mama did not garden the past few years," Babette explained.

  "Oh."

  "Well, we can put up a fence easily enough," Clark assured her.

  Anna just nodded. She wanted to ask how that was possible when she was quickly running out of funds, but she didn't want to discuss her finances in front of everyone. And perhaps a fence wasn't as costly as she thought, or perhaps there was fencing material on the property somewhere. Besides that, it would probably be worth the investment to protect her garden. She had hoped to put up some of the produce at the end of summer, in order to save money on groceries when winter came. She thought of the big chest freezer in her mother-inlaw's garage, usually less than half full. Something like that would come in handy now that she had electricity. Still, she reminded herself, as the others discussed the local wildlife, she knew that her grandmother had made do with very little. Certainly, Anna could do the same if necessary.

  "Is much hunting done around here?" Clark asked. And immediately, Babette began telling stories of her late husband Bernard, and how he and Anna's father had been quite adept at hunting and fishing.

  "I remember the year they got the elk." Babette shook her head. "So much meat!"

  Anna nodded. "I remember that too. It was during the Depression and between you and Mother, plus Daddy's smokehouse, I don't think much was wasted."

  "And your grandmamma, she used the hide and antlers too."

  "It's too bad people don't know how to live like that anymore,"Anna said sadly. "I mean the ability to hunt and fish and grow your own food, make your own clothes."

  "Some people do," Hazel said. "But I suspect it won't be long before most people in our country depend on others for everything they need."

  After lunch, Clark thanked Anna and excused himself. She wanted to ask him how much longer he thought he'd be staying with them. Not because she wanted to be rid of him—nothing was farther from the truth—she simply wanted to figure out how much she needed to order in the way of groceries. As greatly as she appreciated his handyman skills, especially since he took the initiative to continue with improvements he felt necessary, her budget, if she could call it that, was stretched a bit to feed another mouth.

  With the lunch things cleaned up, Babette and Anna went over to the cabin to answer Hazel's questions. "Eet ees like an office in here," Babette said in surprise as she looked at the typewriter and papers and recording machine.

  "This cabin has been very handy for me," Hazel told them as she pointed to the chairs she'd arranged by the kitchen table. "And with electricity, I'm happy as a clam." She nodded to her machines. "Such time-saving devices." She turned on the recording device. "You don't mind if I record your words, do you? It saves me from having to take notes." They both agreed this was fine, then Hazel began to question them. She started by asking for dates regarding births, deaths, marriages, and other things. Mostly Anna had to estimate, but Babette was more helpful with some things.

  "I assume your grandmother had some schooling," Hazel said.

  "Yes,"Anna confirmed, "she attended school on the reservation. I think for most of her childhood she went to school. But her reading and writing skills were somewhat minimal. At least that's what it seemed
like to me. If she ever had something that needed to be read or written, she relied on Daddy, and later on, she would ask me to help her."

  "Do you suppose her vision was impaired?"

  Anna considered this. "I think you could be right. I remember she would peer at books as if trying to see them."

  The questions continued, and many of them made Anna think. For instance, she had never considered what Grandma Pearl might've gone through in her young adulthood. "I know she married my grandfather when she was about seventeen,"Anna explained. "They had met on the reservation."

  "And they came here to live?"

  "I don't think they did that. Not right away. I remember hearing that they both worked in town. I think at a fish cannery. Although later my grandfather worked in logging. Until he was killed in an accident."

  "Oh, no, chérie," Babette said. "Eet was not an accident."

  Babette shook her head. "No one spoke of eet, but your mama, she tell me her papa ees killed."

  "What?"

  "Killed?"Anna questioned. "How do you mean?"

  Anna felt a wave a shock. "What?"

  "Murdered."

  With wide eyes, Babette nodded. "Oui. I am sorry to tell you. But eet ees true."

  "How did it happen?"

  Babette now told them how Pearl's first husband, the one who didn't drink, was a good man, a hard worker—he had built the cabin they were sitting in—but that he had been killed while working for a logging company. "Your grandmamma, she was very pretty," Babette told Anna. "Like you, but not so tall."

  Anna just shrugged.

  "Women were scarce back then," Babette continued. "Your mama, she tell me that her papa was killed so that another man can marry your grandmamma."

  "I've heard stories like that before," Hazel confirmed.

  "But your grandmamma, she no marry the bad man—the one who murder her husband."

  "But she did marry a white man,"Anna pointed out. "Her second husband, the one who drank."

  "Oui. He was not a bad man, he just drink too much."

  "Oh."

  "That must've been sad for your mother," Hazel said to Anna. "To lose her father so tragically."