Sleigh Ride (Homespun) Read Online Free Page A

with the beans.  She moved the pot onto the middle of the stove to begin the long cooking process.
    “The cake should be ready to come out of the oven.  Do you want to do it, Charlotte?”
    A worried look crossed Charlotte’s face, but she nodded.  Carefully opening the oven, she removed the cake and set it on the work surface to cool.  “Will we put icing on it?”
    Millie shook her head.  “I usually just put some preserves on top.  It’s tastier that way.  We have apple, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or grape.  Which would you prefer?”
    “Blackberry sounds good.”  Charlotte had always been partial to blackberries, and desserts weren’t exactly abundant in the orphanage.
    Millie smiled.  “We’ll send Patience down for some blackberries after lunch.”
    “I’ll go now, Mama.”  Patience got to her feet to run to help.
    Millie shook her head.  “I want you to concentrate on your schoolwork if you can.”  She stood and retrieved her sewing basket from along the wall.  “I thought we could sew until it’s closer to lunchtime.”
    The two women worked and chatted happily until almost noon.  Charlotte loved this kind of work, but didn’t much care for housework.  Cooking was something she was unsure of, but she knew as she gained proficiency, she wouldn’t mind it much.
    “So tell me where James will take me as we court.”  Charlotte tried not to sound too eager, but meeting James was all she could think about.
    Millie shrugged.  “Most of the courting around here is done with a chaperone in a buggy or on a sleigh.  He’ll probably come for you, and we’ll send either Patience or one of the boys out with you.  You’ll drive for a few hours, and then he’ll bring you home.  You can invite him for a meal if you’d like.  There isn’t much more than that to do.”
    Charlotte sighed.  She didn’t feel all that strongly about needing a chaperone, but she was living under George’s roof, and if he thought she needed one, she’d take one.  She meant to talk to him about it, though, and see if he would be okay with her going alone. 
    “Do you think he’ll call for me on Sunday afternoon?”  Millie had already explained that Sunday was the only day of rest.  Only housework and chores were done on Sundays.  No farm work could be done at all.
    Millie laughed.  “From the way he was talking last Sunday, he’s already mapped out the route he wants to take you on.”  Her eyes twinkled at her friend.
    Charlotte blushed.  “I hope I can live up to his expectations of me.”
    “You will.  I think he’ll just be happy if you can cook a few basic meals, and he can quit eating at Bess’s house for supper every night.”  She paused and winked at her friend.  “I know that would make Bess happy.”
    “Because she wants her house to herself or because she gets tired of cooking for an extra person all the time?”
    “Yes!” 
    Both women dissolved into laughter.  Patience looked up from her book with a grin.  Her mama was serious too much.  It was nice to see her laughing with her friend.
    Millie looked at her friend.  It was so hard for her to ask for help, even though she knew she really needed it.  “Would you mind making the cornbread for lunch?  I’ll walk you through how to do it.” 
    Charlotte nodded reluctantly.  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help Millie, because she did, but she wasn’t sure exactly how to go about cooking, and doing things she was unsure of made her uncomfortable.  Of course, it was better to learn with her friend coaching her than it would be as a new wife with a husband who needed to eat every night.
    She took down the bowl and gathered the ingredients Millie told her to get.  She broke the first egg, and had to fish the shells out of the bowl.  “Are you sure you want me doing this?”
    Millie grinned.  “You just need practice.  You’ll be a great cook in no time.”
    Patience looked skeptical, but didn’t