Series:

Heartsong Presents

Excerpt from book:

1876
St. Louis, Missouri

Tabitha McClelland twisted her apron, the fabric so soiled she believed it could stand up on its own. She straightened her shoulders as the first train of the day screeched to a halt, and wished for something nicer to wear. The least her new employer could do was to give her something clean on her first day. Obviously, a previous employee left in a hurry and no one thought to do laundry.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward to open the door. Her heart leaped into her throat. Black smoke belched from the engine and drifted inside the dining room, mixing with the odor of burned bacon and sour grease. Within minutes a crowd of passengers surged inside.

On the first morning at her new job, she'd expected more than the dirty eatery with a scuffed wooden floor and the soiled aprons she and the other woman wore over their equally stained gray uniforms. She needed to look past the filth and muddle through because she sorely needed the work. Aprons could be washed.

"Step aside, Tabby," Alice, her coworker, barked. Sweat stained the bodice of her blouse. Dark hair streaked with silver escaped from her bun. "Seat the customers, then join me in the kitchen."

Tabby dashed among the passengers, handing out tattered menus printed on newsprint before she rushed to join Alice. "Now what?" Tabby glanced at the plates of runny eggs and greasy beans that lined the counter. Her stomach churned.

"We wait until it's almost time for the customers to board. Then we serve them."

"What about taking their orders?"

The waitress laughed. "Those are just for show. The only difference is what the person wants to drink. Relax."

"But the food's waiting and growing cold." Not to mention getting more unappetizing by the minute. As the words left her lips, Tabby wanted them back. She knew better than to question her superiors but her mouth ran like a racehorse most of the time, crashing over the line at the end without warning.

"Hush, girl. You don't want Mr. Beeker to hear you asking questions." Alice frowned and lowered her voice. "If you value your job, you'll be quiet and do as you're told."

Tabby eyed the pudgy, balding man reading a newspaper in the corner. Her flesh crawled at remembrance of the leer on his face when he'd granted her the waitress job. She shuddered. Other than picking up her pay, she hoped her interview with Mr. Beeker would be all the contact she had with the man. Since the age of sixteen, Tabby had made do on her own. She didn't need a man to take care of her. Especially one old enough to be her grandpa.

Voices rose from the dining room. Tabby glanced at the clock. The train would leave in ten minutes. Mr. Beeker strolled past, the newspaper folded under his arm.

"Go collect their money," Alice said.

Tabby scrambled to do her bidding. Why were they taking the money before serving the food? Was that right? What kind of business had she gotten herself into here?

"Miss?" A gentleman in a suit raised his hand as she finished the task. "Will we be eating soon? The train will be leaving shortly."

"Yeah! And why do we have to pay before we get our food?" A bearded man scowled.

Tabby swallowed past the lump in her throat and tried to smile, failing miserably. "I'll check on that right now, sir." She pocketed the fistful of half-dollars and rushed back to Alice. "The customers are asking about their food."

Alice glanced at the clock. "We can serve now. Make it snappy. We've got to get a plate in front of each customer before the whistle blows."

Tabby bit the inside of her lip. She might notTabitha is in search of adventure

Tabitha McClelland knows accepting a job as a Harvey House waitress can be risky. Traveling alone to the rough-and-tumble West just isn't done by young ladies of good breeding. But far more dangerous is her powerful attraction to Adam Foster. Family means everything to the widowed chef, but the self-sufficient Tabitha cherishes her freedom above all else.

Adam is captivated by the fiercely independent Tabitha. Fraternizing with the female employees is strictly forbidden, but the Harvey Girl awakens feelings too compelling to ignore. Can Adam convince Tabby to share his dream of a future in California—together?