Ever Faithful Page 4

  Little did he know she might actually be his teacher soon. She gripped her notebook, trying to steady her rising temper. She hadn’t expected a collection of grown men to act so childishly. “Do you only listen to teachers, then? Here’s a study question for you. What’s the boiling temperature of water?”

  The two paused, as if at a loss for words—or more likely, for an answer.

  A third angled through the group, coming to the front. The responsible one from the station—Nate Webber. “I believe the lady asked you a question, Mutt.”

  The man’s face pinched. He folded the knife and jammed it into his shirt pocket. “Don’t know. Why don’t you tell us, Teach.” He hurled the word toward Elsie.

  A young fellow lifted his hand as if he were in class. “Two hundred and twelve degrees.”

  “That’s right. And that’s what’s directly below your friend’s feet right now. Boiling, highly acidic water.” Elsie came several steps closer and gestured to the ground where Mutt stood. “By my calculations that crust is probably less than six inches thick. So I really think you might want to come back over here.”

  Mutt glanced at his boots, the laces hanging loose on one of them. His face blanched.

  Mr. Webber walked to the edge of the platform and stretched out an arm. “Come on. I know you stink, but I don’t think a scalding bath would improve you much.”

  The burly man grabbed Webber’s wrist, allowing himself to be hauled back to safety. A snapping sound accompanied the swift motion. Several men surged to the edge of the walkway and gawked as a boot-sized hole appeared, cracks fanning out from the crevice. Water splashed up onto the edges, licking at the spot where Mutt’s foot had been moments before.

  Red jumped to the front of the line.

  “Jeepers. He’d have been boiled like an egg.”

  Elsie stepped back as the men’s eyes turned toward her again. The group fell silent.

  Mutt wiped his hands on his shirt as if to dry his palms. “I-I’m sorry, Miss. I didn’t…” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his neck. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  She folded her arms across her chest, hugging her sides. “You should be more careful. This place is unforgiving.”

  “My ma always said careless shoulda’ been my middle name.” He smirked. “But I’ll watch myself.”

  Webber gestured toward the path. “Why don’t you and the fellas go find what else there is to see here.”

  Mutt touched the brim of his slouchy hat at Elsie before herding the group toward the Back Basin.

  She watched them depart, uncomfortably aware of the one man remaining behind. She turned to face him. “Mr. Webber, I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on your men.”

  “Oh, they aren’t my men. I’m just one of the pack, I’m afraid. But I’ve got a few years on most of them, so it buys me a bit of respect.”

  She studied him, his eyes the color of the forest at dusk. “I doubt they would have obeyed me if you hadn’t spoken up.”

  His brow furrowed. “He could have paid a heavy price for stubborn pride.”

  She tried not to think about what might have happened to the man. It wouldn’t be the first time someone died from foolishness out here. “What brings you to this area of the park? Are you working on a project here?”

  “The captain put us on a truck and ordered us to explore.” A half smile crossed his face. “I don’t think he wanted to be bothered this morning. He’s meeting with the rangers to nail down some plans. Said something about building three more camps. I guess they’re moving us on to the Grand Canyon.” He looked at her quizzically. “Isn’t that a different park?”

  “He’s referring to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, not the one in Arizona.” She stopped herself before saying that she’d be moving that direction next month. Why should he care? “How are you finding Yellowstone so far? It must be quite an adjustment.”

  “You have no idea. Most of us have never been out of the city.” He grinned. “The mountains? The critters? I saw those buffalo yesterday in the pen at Mammoth. I never dreamed such creatures existed outside western movies.”

  “The rangers keep some there to show the tourists, but there are wild ones in the park too.” The wonder in the man’s eyes sent a rush of warmth through her.

  Mr. Webber folded his arms, apparently not in a hurry to rejoin his friends. “I noticed you back at the train station. Do you live here? At the park?”

  “I work for the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company.”

  “Leading tours?”

  “Oh no.” She swallowed a laugh. “I’m just a pillow puncher—a maid.”

  “I didn’t realize maids took notes.” He glanced at her book.

  “I’m going to the University of Montana in the fall to study education. I hope to take some geology classes too.” She forced confidence into her words. After so many delays, nothing would stop her this time.

  “Geology? That explains how you recognized Mutt’s predicament.”

  The pool gurgled, its increasing steam a sign of action. Elsie dug in her pocket for something to write with. “That, and I’ve lived here most of my life. I grew up in Mammoth. My father’s a ranger.” Her pencil had gone missing. She scanned the boards at her feet. If she’d dropped it in her hurry to warn the careless fellow, it would have rolled through one of the gaps between the boards. “Oh no. Do you have a pen with you?” The spring had already started bubbling.

  Webber tapped the side of his head and then pointed to her ear.

  She felt a flush in her cheeks. “Oh.” She grabbed the writing instrument, untucking more of her hair in the process. She checked her timepiece, then jotted down the time.

  “What are you doing?” The sound of spurting water drew his attention. “Oh, that’s remarkable.” He fell silent, watching.

  She stepped to the railing, bracing her elbows on the rough wood. “Your first geyser?”

  He nodded, not taking his eyes from the action, the pulsing spray reaching about three feet into the air. “It’s like the fountains in Central Park, except wilder.”

  She scratched a few more figures in her book. “Where’s that?”

  He finally dragged his attention back to her. “You’ve never heard of Central Park?”

  “You’ve never seen a geyser?”

  He chuckled at her quick response and turned back to watch the show. “I guess if you’ve lived here all your life, you’ve probably never been to New York.”

  The words stopped her. She’d been to New York, years ago. Before Yellowstone. She’d relegated that part of her life to the shadows of her memory. That was the only safe place to leave it. “I was born back East, but I-I don’t remember much.”

  “Does the water always do that?”

  The way he said “water” tickled her ears, and she wondered if her lips could form the sounds the same way. Whah-teh. Watuh. Something like that. What was it about this man’s voice that intrigued her? “It erupts about every twenty minutes or so. But they’re all different.” She jabbed her pencil at the pages. “You can see here—this one went off at two minutes after ten this morning. Shortly before you arrived.”

  His smile faded as he glanced at her notes. He cleared his throat and took several steps back. “I…I should catch up to the guys.”

  “Of course.” Elsie closed the book. Another man put off by a woman interested in science? The bubble of excitement that had been growing in her chest fizzled. She could almost hear Mary’s voice. “Always let the man do the talking.” Mary would probably have peppered him with questions about life in New York.

  He touched his hat and hurried after the rest of his group.

  No matter. She shouldn’t have expected him to be interested. Elsie tugged her cuff over her scarred wrist.

  The basin grew quiet. Elsie turned her attention back to
the thermal feature, now little more than a bubbling pot. She checked her timepiece. She had time to wait for the next one. The more data in her book, the better. After all, facts didn’t care that she was a woman.

  * * *

  Nate scrubbed a palm across his face as he hurried after his regiment. College girl. Figures. The eager look in her eye when she’d flashed him the records of eruption times had caught him off guard. How long had it been since anyone had treated him like someone with a brain? She’d never give him the time of day if she knew he couldn’t make out the scratchings in her book. His heart sagged.

  “Start using your head, you worthless…” His father’s voice echoed over both the miles and the years.

  The truth of the memory stung. For some incomprehensible reason, God had seen fit to make Nate Webber dumb. Maybe He only gave good brains to the people He loved. Once again, Nate didn’t make the cut.

  He paused on the wooden walkway and glanced back at the young woman tapping that yellow pencil against her chin as she stared at the steaming pools and bubbling geysers. He lifted his eyes to the grand landscape beyond, the sight filling his chest like oxygen to his soul. At least he had eyes and ears to enjoy the world laid out before him.

  “Webber!”

  Red hung back from the rest of the party, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Quit gaping at the girl and get up here.”

  A wave of heat prickled up Nate’s neck as he hurried down the boardwalk. Gaping at the girl? Hopefully that wasn’t what Miss…Did she tell me her name? He thought back to the encounter at the train depot with the woman and her friend. Red had gotten the sassy blonde’s name, but what of this one? What sort of idiot talked with a girl but didn’t think to ask her name?

  He cast one last look at the attractive young woman. The kind who doesn’t expect her to bother with him.

  Elsie gripped the mop handle with both hands, the lobby’s gleaming floor a tiny compensation for her aching back. Mammoth Hotel might not be renting rooms for the summer, but the restaurant would still be doing business, and it was never too early to get things in shape. In a little over a week, she and Mary would pack up and move to Canyon where the work would begin anew. The Grand Canyon Hotel, the log Canyon Lodge, and the housekeeping cabins were all in need of a bit of sprucing up before their opening.

  Mary’s chatter in the background warmed her spirits more than the hard work. “Our whole crew has been mixed up like a tossed salad this summer. Sal and Millie will be at Canyon. Billy and Joe, Frank and Marcie—oh!—and Betty too—they’re all moving to Old Faithful. But Frank’s been promoted to front desk. Can you believe it? From busboy to clerk, that’s quite a leap. But then, a handsome face like his shouldn’t be hidden behind stacks of dirty plates.” She rubbed the cloth on the wooden railing, then stopped to add a little extra polish. “And the new gear jammers come in today.”

  Elsie settled the mop back into the tin bucket, careful not to slosh the murky water. “Already?”

  Her friend swiped the rag against the wood with an extra flourish. “Hal says they’re doing extra training this year. Safety and all that.” She cast a mischievous grin toward Elsie. “Want to go welcome them?”

  “You mean spy on them? Like we did with the CCC boys?”

  “Yes, but these are our boys. College students, like us.”

  “I spoke with some CCC men at Norris Geyser Basin. They seemed nice enough, though perhaps a little reckless.”

  “You didn’t tell me that. Which ones?” Her eyes widened. “Did you see Red?”

  “Yes, and the other fellow, Mr. Webber. And plenty more.” She needed to steer this conversation back to safer ground. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? Mother would love to see you.”

  Her friend paused, biting her lip. “Is she well enough for company?”

  “I think it might do her some good. She misses everyone when the park’s all buttoned up for winter.”

  “She’ll certainly miss you when we leave for Canyon.” Mary leaned against the stair railing. “You do so much for her.”

  Elsie gripped the mop handle. “My father said he can manage without me.”

  “I’m looking forward to the change. Beds and floors are the same everywhere, but there will be plenty of new faces.” Mary grinned. “And I hear Canyon’s pillow punchers are the best punchers—”

  “Don’t start singing, please.” Elsie groaned, but her admonishment came too late.

  “The most punchy punchers there are…” Mary’s lilting words carried through the Great Hall.

  “Oh no, no, no,” a disembodied voice hollered down the empty stairwell, picking up the song chant midstream. “Mammoth pillow punchers will welcome you home, and greet you with songs tonight…”

  The familiar voice made Elsie’s heart jump. “Rose? Is that you?”

  The freckled face peered over the railing. “I do believe my eyes spy Elsie and Mary Contrary!”

  The three of them met in the middle of the stairs, hugging and laughing together.

  The petite brunette touched the scarf wrapped around her head, the look emphasizing her heart-shaped face. “And here I am, covered in dirt. This place is a disaster. We cleaned it from basement to rafters at the end of the season, and now look.” She gestured to the old hotel. “Nothing but rodent droppings and dust. And I think a squirrel was holed up in my cabin all winter.”

  Elsie grabbed her friend’s hand and led her to the landing. “How was school?”

  “Top marks, even with everything that happened.” Rose sighed, glancing down at the toes of her two-toned oxfords. “Now I have the summer to relax before my last term.”

  And this fall, Elsie would be heading off to school too. A rush of excitement swept through her. “What do you mean ‘everything that happened’?”

  Rose’s eyes filled with tears. “I had plenty of time to study after Pete threw me over for a schoolteacher from Cody.”

  “What? You didn’t say anything in your letters about this!” Mary’s mouth dropped open. “You and Pete have been together forever. And longer!”

  “I couldn’t bring myself to write the words. It made it too real. He told me in December, just before Christmas. By March, he was engaged. Can you believe it?” Her lower lip trembled.

  Elsie squeezed her arm. “Then it’s good you’re here, among friends. We’ll help you shake those blues right away.”

  “You two are so good to me.” She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “Can you girls keep a secret?”

  “Of course.” Elsie stepped closer. After all, Rose and Mary had kept hers all these years.

  “I met someone on the train ride. He’s one of the new drivers. Said his”—she glanced at Elsie—“his uncle got him the job.”

  Mary pouted. “You met one of the jammers already? Unfair.”

  Rose’s gentle smile softened her face. “He’s really sweet. We talked the whole way here. You’re going to love him. Poor fella had to listen to all my sob stories.”

  Elsie glanced around. “Where is this mystery man?”

  “He’s in the kitchen, helping Cook get the stoves running. He’s handy that way, or so he told me.” Rose trotted down the stairs, tugging Elsie along. “Come and meet him.”

  Elsie and Mary trailed after Rose, heading toward the kitchen in the rear of the building.

  Sitting on the dirty floor with one arm deep in the large oven, a lanky fellow spoke quietly with the nearby cook. “It’s the pilot light. It might need replacing.”

  When the cook glanced toward the girls, the young man on the floor jumped to his feet, knocking over a box and spilling matches across the floor. “I’m sorry; I didn’t see you come in.”

  It couldn’t be. A rush of memories triggered by the man’s face and voice thrust Elsie backward against the door, her legs suddenly weighing more than lead.

 
; Mary squeezed Rose’s arm. “Rose, you didn’t tell us your new fella’s name.”

  “He’s not my—it’s not like that.” Rose fidgeted, worrying the corner of her apron. “It’s Elsie’s cousin, Graham. He wanted to surprise her.”

  Graham. A wave of heat crawled up Elsie’s chest, like the flames that haunted her nightmares.

  Her cousin cleared his throat. “Elsie, I hardly recognized you, all grown up. It’s good to see you.”

  Elsie tried to draw a decent breath, but it was as if the air had turned to molasses. Graham Brookes—here in Mammoth? She backed out of the room, retreating to the front hall, desperate for the freedom of the outside world.

  Rose darted after her. “Elsie, what’s wrong?”

  “Why is he here?” She snatched the mop from its bucket, long forgotten, unlike other things she’d left behind. Water dripped across the parquet floor.

  “Your father got him a job for the summer, driving one of the tour buses.”

  Graham, a gear jammer? “We don’t need his help.” Elsie bit the words. “I haven’t seen him since I was nine. Not since we left Washington.” She yanked at her cuffs as if covering her scars could protect her from what lay ahead.

  Rose caught her hands, stilling the motion. “Then it will give you a chance to get reacquainted.” Her brow wrinkled. “You’ve never spoken of him before. He seems nice enough. A little older than most of the jammers, but I think he’ll fit in fine.”

  Graham appeared at the edge of the hall, his brow furrowed. “Elsie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shock you.”

  Elsie forced her feet to stay planted. It would do no good to run from him. If her father had gotten him a job, the problem wasn’t going to vanish. “I-I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Rose gave Elsie’s hands a quick squeeze. “I’ll go see what Mary is doing and let you two talk.” She disappeared into the kitchen.