Salika Gentry's Intro

Salika raised her head up from the list she was making of ingredients she needed to pick up from the mercantile and smiled warmly at her only child. Although Jerusha resembled her the most, what with her white-blonde hair, blue eyes and rosy complexion, Salika could see a lot of her late husband in their daughter as well. When Jerusha smiled it was with Tucker's crooked grin, when she laughed it was genuine, not an affected one that so many of the area young ladies used. There were too many similarities between her daughter and Tucker that Salika couldn't possibly name them all if she tried, and only two that Salika wished Jerusha hadn't inherited; Her pa's quick temper and stubbornness. Those two traits of Tucker's had vexed her time and time again as Jerusha was growing up, but both had gentled out some as Jerusha matured into a young lady.

"Morning Ma." Jerusha said as she descended the last few steps into the kitchen. She planted a light kiss on her ma's cheek, before taking an apron off of a hook on the wall and tying it around her waist.

"There's a pot of porridge on the stove for breakfast and a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls cooling on a rack. Another batch is in the oven and I’ve already made the dough for bread, hot cross buns and shells for today's pies." Salika told Jerusha as her daughter took a bowl down from a nearby shelf and ladled porridge into it as she listened to her Ma.

"What cookies are you wanting to make today?" Jerusha asked as she added butter, sugar and milk to her bowl of porridge before heading over to the table to eat it.

"The usual I suppose, oatmeal raisin, sugar, gingersnap. I'll let you know iffen we're going to make any special ones after I come back from getting supplies at the mercantile. Is there anything you be needing?" Salika said as she headed out of the kitchen with a basket in her arms.

Jerusha couldn't help noticing that her Ma was holding the basket carefully, in two hands, as if there was something inside. "What's in the basket?"

The question stopped Salika in mid step and, without turning, she said quickly, " I thought I'd take some cinnamon rolls over to the jail for the new marshal. I'll be back shortly."