Redeeming-Love-By-Francine-Rivers

F R A N C I N E R I V E R S
Nonplussed, he did as she told him. She stepped around him and held the
pan up, running her hand over it as though it was an object of great worth.
“Gentlemen, Sam knows his merchandise, but he doesn’t know anything
about cooking.” She smiled slightly and saw the grins coming.
Some laughed as though she were making a ribald joke. She talked about
chicken and dumplings, fried salt pork and gravy, scrambled eggs and
bacon. When they were fairly drooling, she quietly discussed the necessity
of having a quality pan to bring about a good meal. She talked of the fine
cast iron, the distribution of heat, the easy handling. Sam had said it all
before, but this time the men listened raptly.
“Besides all the wonderful meals you can prepare in this pan, it has other
uses. When you run out of bullets and need to protect your claim, you have
a weapon.” She made a mocking swing at a man who was pushing too close.
The men laughed. She laughed, too, playing them. “So what do you say,
gentlemen? Do I have a buyer?”
“Yes!” Men started pushing forward to get closer to her. They would have
bought a dented tin can from her. A fight broke out in the middle. While it
was going on, she leaned toward Sam and asked him what his cost was. He
named a modest amount. “Oh, I think we can do much better than that,”
she said and waited for the two brawlers to be separated before she named
her price. Someone complained loudly, making the others pause.
Angel smiled and shrugged, her attitude saying that she didn’t care
whether they bought anything or not. She hung the pan back on the side of
the wagon and sat down. “Let’s go, Sam. You were wrong about these gentlemen.
They don’t know quality when they’re looking at it.”
His mouth was agape. Several men protested. She looked back at them.
“You said we’re asking too much,” she said. “Frankly, I see no sense in trying
to talk you into something your own intelligence should tell you is necessary.
Sam?” She handed him the reins. A miner held the horse’s harness and
told her to hold on, he had a pan to buy before she took off.
Angel gave in graciously and sold every pan on the wagon.
The crowd didn’t start dispersing until Sam took the reins and drove
down the road out of town. He was grinning and chuckling. “You got a talent
for this, missy.”
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