Page 61 of A Door in the Dark
“It’s gorgeous,” Cora said. “Some people don’t know what they’re missing.”
“Well put,” Holt replied. “That is well put. Go on, set your things down.”
As Theo placed their lonely backpack on the wraparound porch, Ren finally realized how strange they must look. What kind of pioneers traveled with a single satchel? Their clothes and shoes were odd choices as well. Della’s careful appraisal of their group made more sense now. She must have been wondering how a trio like them had ended up out here. Or how they’d survived the pass at all.
“Hope you don’t mind a noisy dinner,” Della said as she started up the porch. “Most of our hired hands are mountain folk, born and bred. No one ever taught them which spoon to use for which course or anything like that. I tried when I first came. It was a losing battle.”
Cora glanced at Theo before smiling. “No worries. I grew up in a family that rolled dice to see who’d get the bone after dinner. Having a spoon for everyone at the table is plenty fancy for us.”
Della inclined her head. “I’ll ready the dinner. Promise not to bore them, Holt.”
He clutched both hands over his heart, pretending to be wounded, before leaning in conspiratorially to the rest of them. “She’s heard every story a hundred times. And she knows that’s my favorite thing about guests. For guests, my stories are all brand-new. Come on this way. Plenty to see.”
He walked across the upper pasture, carefully guiding them around. His love for history hadn’t left him. “I salvaged all the wood from the buildings in Little West.”
Ren perked up at that. “Little West? Isn’t that one of the first ghost towns?”
Her interest managed to churn even more enthusiasm out of him.
“It’s one of my favorite stories,” he said. “They built it as a retreat for one of Kathor’s first kings. Meant it to be solitude from the rigors of ruling. Rumor goes that he came up to inspect the town with a company of soldiers, and he never returned. When explorers found the place, it was just a bunch of empty buildings. None of the people who’d gone to settle the land were there. No graves. No bones. Nothing at all. After that, no one wanted to live there. Which meant a whole lot of free wood for us. And it’s high-quality wood too.”
Ren nodded. “My mother used to say they were eaten by the last surviving dragon.”
“Really?” Holt looked thoughtful. “That’s curious. My mother always said they turned into dragons. I’d bet that if we traced our lineages back, we’d see that they came from different regions with slightly different religious beliefs. I’d bet my mother’s line has some Tusk ancestors. They’re always telling stories about magical encounters like that. Honestly, it’s why all the best stories have twenty alternative endings. Different folks like to spin their own moral lessons.…” He trailed off for a moment and scratched his head. “I was doing it, wasn’t I? Boring you all to tears. All right, up ahead here…”
They circled the upper pasture and were allowed to pat the great flanks of the cows. A few of the field hands came over to introduce themselves. Ren waved to the little girl, but she was rather shy and went back to focusing even more intently on her straw doll. She noticed Della watching them from the kitchen window as she scrubbed down extra plates. Cora looked ready to move in permanently by the time they’d circled back around to the porch.
“Are you sure you can’t stay the night?” Holt asked. “We’ve got an empty cabin.”
Cora hesitated just long enough for Theo to answer for the group.
“We really have to keep moving. We’re honored by the offer, however.”
Holt raised his eyebrows before winking at Cora. “Honored? I’m guessing goldenrod here wasn’t raised on a farm. Well, we’re honored to at least have you for dinner.”
Theo looked uncertain about whether or not he’d been insulted as Holt thundered up the porch steps. His voice rang out, calling for Della. There was a bell hanging down on the corner of their porch. He started ringing it to call in the field hands for a hearty meal that Ren could already smell through the open window. As it tolled, the three of them had a single moment to themselves.
And all three of them spoke at once.
“I love this place.”
“I don’t like it.”
“That smells amazing.”
Cora shot a proper scowl in Theo’s direction.
“You don’t like it because they’re not your kind of people.”
He scowled right back at her, but any chance of a discussion was cut off as Holt came loping back toward them. The older man swung the front door open and gestured inside.
“Go on. Pick good seats or you’ll catch elbows from the Mackie brothers.”
Inside, the kitchen was the clear centerpiece of their home. It sprawled around a great wooden table that appeared to be two farmhouse doors fashioned and bolted into one longer piece. Finely crafted chairs ran down both sides, and Ren guessed they were handmade. Hooks had been hammered straight into the walls. Any number of cast-iron implements hung like war prizes. Della set out a plate of melted goat cheese, and Ren barely kept the drool from running down her chin.
“Start in,” their host said, whirling around to prepare another dish. “The Mackies will eat it all if you don’t grab a few bites now.”
Holt offered them a Didn’t I tell you? look as he took his own seat. There was an old-flower scent hidden beneath the smoked cheeses and meats. It reminded Ren of the stores her mother used to frequent when she was a child. Something that, in larger doses, would make her feel a little nauseous. She didn’t know the polite amount of cheese to take and was soundly scolded by Holt on her first attempt. “No wonder you’re barely bones,” he said. “Like this.”
