Helen Heals A Hotelier (Brides With Grit Book 10) Page 10

  A soft sigh escaped her lips as she took a breath and kissed him again. Oh, she was a good kisser!

  “Uh, Momma? You don’t have to keep kissing Ethan if you don’t want to.” Which girl said that? It didn’t matter because their momma was only paying attention to him, not the girls at this moment.

  Chapter 11

  “No, I will not calm down. I want to know why those street urchins were selling box lunches at the depot, saying they were from our hotel.”

  “Esther, the children looked like they needed the money. There was no harm saying the food came from our hotel.”

  “We have our reputation to uphold, Elvin. Plus I didn’t authorize Ethan to sell food to people on the streets. If the staff has plenty of time to make up box lunches, I need to cut the staff down.”

  Helen stood at the hotel desk, listening to the couple as they wiped their feet on the front door rug and shrugged out of their heavy coats. Her ire rose when the woman called her daughters “street urchins”, but they were selling food down at the depot…actually lots of box lunches as it was becoming a nice additional revenue for the hotel’s bottom line.

  One good look at the older man, once he’d removed his coat, neck scarf and hat, gave Helen the idea of what Ethan would look like in thirty years. Other than silver mixed in with his blonde hair and wrinkles around his eyes, he was almost identical in size to his son. Their voices were almost interchangeable, too.

  Ethan’s mother wore a nice dark brown ensemble under her matching brown coat, a gaudy hat which wouldn’t give any protection to the Kansas weather, and brown kid gloves which looked warm at least. Now the woman had them pulled off, looking ready to slap someone with them. Her dark brown hair didn’t have a streak of gray in it yet, and was pulled back in a tight bun on the nape of her neck. There were no laugh lines around her eyes, but definite frown lines around her mouth.

  So, Helen was about to meet Ethan’s parents, and she braced for the encounter.

  The changes Helen had made in the past weeks had increased the hotel’s room capacity and dining room activity, and it showed profit on the books. Even though Ethan had been dreading his parents return—because of the changes they had done to the hotel—Helen was ready for the confrontation. Anyone owning a business would welcome the extra income, even if they didn’t want to admit it at first. She was ready to show Ethan was capable of running the hotel, even if it was with her initial ideas and help. He hadn’t had the training needed, but showed a smart business mind once Helen helped show him the way to do things.

  “Welcome to the Paulson Hotel. May I help you?”

  The Paulsons had ignored her at the desk, starting to walk up the stairs without saying a word to her.

  “Welcome to the Paulson Hotel. May I help you?” Helen repeated, a little louder this time.

  “What? Who are you?” Mrs. Paulson stepped back down from the first step and crowded into the space behind the desk, but Helen refused to budge from her position.

  “I said, welcome to the Paulson Hotel. I am Mrs. Helen Higby, assistant to Mr. Ethan Paulson, the manager of this fine establishment.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Higby. I’m Elvin Paulson, Ethan’s father.” The gentleman walked to the front of the desk and held out his hand to shake her hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Ethan has mentioned you often since I started my employment at the hotel.” Helen was genuinely pleased to meet Ethan’s father. Although gossip hinted he was badgered by his wife, Ethan and others spoke highly of the man.

  “And why are you working here? Ethan doesn’t need an assistant.” Esther Paulson quipped rather than introduce herself.

  “And you are...Mrs. Esther Paulson?” Helen held her hand out in greeting, but didn’t expect the older woman to take her hand.

  “Of course I am.” Esther folded her arms in front of her chest instead of taking Helen’s hand.

  “Well, it would have been nice if you had telegraphed ahead with your arrival date so the staff could have had your suite ready for you,” Helen sweetly said. “We’ve been so busy with the hotel’s full occupancy, the dining room now open to the public, plus offering box lunches to railroad passengers as they pass through Clear Creek.”

  The shocked look on Mrs. Paulson’s face was satisfying to Helen, although she braced for the woman’s retort.

  “Well, I’ll be discussing anything Ethan has changed, and be sure it is corrected back as I want it to be.”

  “Esther, we put Ethan in charge of the hotel when we left on our trip...” Elvin barely got out the words when his wife cut in.

  “But now we are back, so we will take over again.” Esther glared at her husband who didn’t bother standing up for Ethan, or himself for that matter.

  “Where is my son?” Esther demanded in a voice bordering on a rude command rather than a question.

  “He’s indisposed at the moment.” Helen wasn’t going to tell this domineering mother what her son was doing at the moment. She’d be sure to have a fit then.

  “I’m sure you’re famished after your trip. How about you eat in the dining room while the staff dusts your suite? I’m sure Ethan will be back by the time you’re finished with your meal.” Helen didn’t want Ethan’s parents to venture upstairs until Ethan had time to rearrange some things upstairs in the two suites.

  “I do not want to eat in the dining room with strangers. Tell Naomi to bring two chicken dinners upstairs to us right away.”

  “Please, Mrs. Paulson, it would be easier for the staff if you ate today’s special in the dining room. The staff is very busy and it would take time away from the paying guests...”

  Even the word “paying” didn’t stop Mrs. Paulson from turning on her heel and marching up the staircase.

  Helen thought about running through the kitchen to race up the back stairs to warn Ethan his parents were on the way, but she’d never make it by the time the Paulsons were on the third floor on the main stairs.

  Helen followed the couple upstairs to the third floor. The doors to the two suites were side by side at the top of the landing.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Paulson, I think you should wait...” Helen didn’t get another word out when they all turned toward the chatter coming through the open door of Ethan’s suite.

  “What is going on?” Esther asked as she barged into Ethan’s living room.

  Helen inwardly groaned seeing the scene they had interrupted. Ethan sat on the floor with Luella on his lap, his hands wrapped around Luella’s bare leg, with Avalee leaning against his side, staring at the newcomers.

  Why are there children in your suite?” Esther’s posture was stiff, with her hands clutched in fists at her hips.

  “We live here,” Avalee answered before Helen or Ethan could think of what to say. Leave it up to her daughter to come up with the answer that would surely make the woman explode.

  Ethan lifted Luella off his lap and set her on the floor so he could stand.

  “Hello Father, Mother. I wish you would have let us known you were on the way home,” Ethan glanced at his father but settled his stare on his mother.

  “Why? So you could hide the fact you’re playing house with that woman and her two children?” Esther pointed back to Helen, still staring at Ethan.

  “Momma has four of us,” Avalee stubbornly stated as the girl edged to the safety of Helen’s skirt.

  “The woman and four children are living with you, Ethan?!”

  Ethan hadn’t found his voice so Helen stepped forward.

  “My four daughters and I have been living in this suite, but Ethan has been living in your suite. In exchange for room and board, along with a small salary, I have been working for the hotel.”

  “I bet you’ve been more than his assistant at the hotel desk,” Esther accused.

  “Mother, don’t make rude remarks like that,” Ethan finally found his voice.

  “Ethan and I have maintained a friendship, keeping it proper in every way for my children an
d my reputation,” Helen tried to keep her voice even and polite.

  “I don’t remember you living in Clear Creek before. Where did you come from and why are you living here?” Esther continued her interrogation.

  “Mrs. Higby was a mail-order bride from Pennsylvania, but her marriage...uh, didn’t happen as planned and she was left homeless. The Clear Creek Community Fund paid for their stay in the hotel and Mrs. Higby started working for me.”

  “And what could you offer the hotel? We already have staff to cover everything.” Esther turned her question to Helen.

  “I was the general manager of the York Hotel in Pennsylvania for several years, so taking care of a small frontier hotel is easy for me.”

  “Helen has suggested several changes and additions to the hotel’s offerings, which has greatly improved the profit line for the hotel,” Ethan added.

  “Momma! We already sold out of the lunches for today.” Iva Mae and Maridell burst into the room, their cheeks pink from the cold and their eyes bright with happiness. The girls stopped short eyeing Ethan’s parents in the room.

  “That lady yelled at us for selling food,” Maridell accused Esther as she pointed a finger at her.

  “Mother and Father, I’d like you to meet Iva Mae, Maridell, Avalee and Luella,” Ethan gestured to each girl as he said their names.

  “Girls, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paulson.”

  Both parties remained silent, sizing each other up. It did not bode well their initial meeting at the depot was not a positive encounter.

  “Girls, what do you say?” Helen reminded them.

  “Nice to meet you,” was mumbled in an out of synch manner.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet each one of you pretty girls, too,” Elvin leaned over to the girls level and held his hand out. One by one the girls shook hands with him and shyly moved to stand by Helen.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t know who you were at the depot, and sorry we didn’t buy some of your box lunches now that they are all gone. What did you have in them today?”

  “Miss Irma packed a chicken salad sandwich, a pickle, and a slice of Aunt Millie’s brown sugar cake.”

  “Do you sell lunches at the depot every day?”

  “No, we go to school, so we only do it on Saturday,” Maridell spoke up, warming to Elvin.

  “Do you like selling the box lunches?”

  “Oh yes. People like to see us with the boxes ‘cause they can step off the train, buy good food and get back on the train.”

  “The workers on the train always get them every Saturday, too. The conductor buys several and passes them around,” Iva Mae added to Maridell’s answer.

  Helen was glad the railroad workers kept an eye out for the girls besides buying their boxes. It gave the girls a purpose and a sense of pride they were helping with their room and board.

  “Well, our speaking of food is making me hungry. Have you girls eaten your lunch yet?” Elvin continued, ignoring Esther’s mental eye darts stabbing him in the back.

  When the girls shook their heads to say no, Elvin continued. “How about you taking us down to the dining room to see what Miss Irma has for lunch today? Then your mother can get back to her desk and Ethan can...”

  “Twetch!” Luella stuck her foot in the air to get Ethan’s attention.

  “I’ll get the younger girls down for their nap and be sure your suite is ready for you, Mother and Father.”

  Elvin turned toward the older girls. “How about you remove your outer clothing and we’ll go downstairs?” The girls’ gloves, capes, and bonnets were quickly tossed on the settee and they hurried out the suite door. Helen watched Esther cringe at the sight of the haphazardly thrown articles on the furniture before turning her gaze to Ethan. “I expect a full report on the hotel and an explanation of why this family is living here when we’re done eating.”

  Esther turned on her heel and grabbed Elvin’s extended elbow, practically pulling her husband down the stairs.

  “Well, now you’ve met my parents.” Ethan grimaced as he sat down on the floor again and pulled Luella back on his lap. “What do we do now?”

  Helen wanted to say, first, remember you’re an adult with a backbone, but that wouldn’t make Ethan feel any better.

  “I’ll lay out the business books in the office so you can show them to your parents this afternoon. Everything is in order and will show the positive improvements you’ve implemented in the past month.”

  “At least your meticulous bookkeeping will show a profit for the hotel now.” Ethan was probably thinking of the messy office she’d taken over and set to rights for him.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in your parent’s suite for now. The girls and I will move downstairs as soon as we get a room available and cleaned.”

  “No, it’s easier for me to move to a room than the five of you.”

  Ethan held up his hand when Helen started to protest. “Please, Helen. I have a big enough fight to face with my mother. I don’t want to argue with you, too.”

  Helen nodded her head to concede. “Thank you, Ethan. The girls think of this suite as their home now, and it would be very hard to keep them happy and contained in a small room again.”

  Sleepy Luella pulled her thumb out and said “twetch” in one last attempt for her foot rub. Avalee had already fallen asleep against Ethan’s side.

  “I’ll put the girls down for their nap and be downstairs shortly. It would be best for you to check on the front desk and dining room. No telling what my mother will do to both.”

  “At least your father seems smitten with the girls.”

  “Father loves children and will enjoy having the girls around. But my mother...”

  “She may come around once she gets to know the girls and realize her hotel has been in good hands.

  “I’ll see you downstairs after a bit,” Helen called behind her as she quietly closed the suite door. She’d be in trouble with Esther Paulson if there was someone waiting for service at the unattended hotel desk.

  “So, I heard all about life with your husbands, Helen,” Esther sidled up to the desk, and turned the book around so she could read who was staying at the hotel.

  Helen knew the woman said the plural of husband on purpose. “Well, when one becomes a widow, and remarries there is more than one husband...” Helen retorted. She was not going to back down to Esther. Her family’s well-being was at stake here.

  “And all about that louse who was Luella’s poppa, throwing you out on the street. Your daughters had a lot to say about that husband.” And Helen was sure Esther pried as much information as she could from her girls.

  “I could use a name worse than louse for what the man did to his daughter, refusing to accept her because she wasn’t a male, and because she might not walk as well as other children. He put a hard burden on us by leaving us homeless and penniless, but we survived.”

  “By coming to this frontier town to marry a con man,” Esther smiled, thinking she’d won this round of words to hurt Helen.

  Helen turned to face Esther. “Yes, we have had a series of loss, sorrow and bad things happen to us, but luckily there have been good people in Clear Creek—like your son—who have come to our aid.

  “And I believe I met another kind soul when your husband took an interest in my daughters. Luckily, Ethan seems to have taken after his father with his compassionate ways and outlook on life.”

  Helen stopped talking before saying ...rather than your mean demeanor, Esther.

  “Wait…the hotel is full?” Esther had counted the names on the register for yesterday’s date twice.

  “Yes, we’re full and I had to turn two couples away this morning because we have no rooms available.”

  “We have twenty rooms….”

  “Which are all full because of the advertising Ethan has done to promote the hotel to travelers.”

  “He spent money on advertising?!”

  “Ethan wrote letters, on the hotel stationery, to
hotels from Denver to Kansas City to introduce himself and the hotel. He told about the benefits of this new hotel, versus staying in Ellsworth if they had business in this area.”

  “Why would he even mention Ellsworth? The hotels he wrote to will tell people about them instead.”

  “Because it is cleaner to stay here and take the short train ride to Ellsworth for business, than stay in the cowtown full of cowboys, huge cow herds, manure and flies.” Helen tried to be patient explaining it to the woman. Hadn’t she ever been to Ellsworth when the herds were driven down Main Street to the train’s stockyards? Helen was there the first of November when the ground was frozen and most of the herds had been shipped out. She shuddered thinking of what the town smelled like during the main shipping season.

  “There you are, Elvin. Where did you go?”

  “The girls have been showing me all their decorations they’ve made. I especially liked all the kissing balls.”

  “Momma and Ethan tried...” Maridell started to say but Ethan was coming down the stairs and wisely cut her off.

  “Maridell and Iva Mae, the little girls are upstairs sleeping now. Could you please go upstairs and quietly read or something? Your mother and I need to talk to my parents about hotel business for a while.”

  Helen met Ethan’s eyes and tried not to smile. Maridell was about to say, “Momma and Ethan tried out every kissing ball in the hotel.” She’d have to tell the girls not to mention her and Ethan’s kissing to his parents, but it was bound to slip sometime.

  “The hospitality room looks very festive, Ethan. The girls said something about a Christmas open house next Sunday afternoon?” Elvin queried with interest.

  “Yes, Helen and the staff have been very busy with preparations for well over a week. Seems like they’ve been baking cookies around the clock, making the dining room smell so good all the time. We even have a taffy pull planned for next Friday night to make candy for it.”

  “And the school children will be having their Christmas program here at three o’clock as part of the open house, plus we’ll have group singing of Christmas carols,” Helen added.