a secure future in your family’s holdings?” Charles asked.
“For one thing, I have four brothers. They can run the businesses for all I care. I’ve never been interested in going to work for my father. For another …” His face reddened and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He paused for several seconds as if weighing how much he wanted to share. “It so happens I was jilted by my fiancée who then eloped with by best friend.” He raked his fingers through his hair and slammed the hat he’d been holding onto his head.
“I figured a change of scenery might do me good, and I was looking for adventure.” He straightened. “I’ve always wanted to make my own way in the world. I’m well-educated, honest, a hard worker, and you’d be fools not to hire me.”
“Charles and I will discuss the matter and let you know on Monday.”
“That’s all I can ask. Sheriff Ramsey will vouch for me.” Ben shook both their hands, and then he too strode off toward his horse.
He, Oliver, and Charles remained. “We should be getting back. There are enough hours of daylight left to get some work done yet,” Daniel said as he set out for their wagon.
“Would you mind walking? I want to make a stop in town, and I can pick up a few things we need while there,” Charles said. “We should have mail waiting for us at the mercantile. If not, I’ll have to make a trip to Hellgate tomorrow. We should’ve heard back from my kin by now. I’m hoping they’ve found a mining engineer for us. If so, I’ll have to send a bank draft for his journey West.”
“Cool.” Oliver’s face lit with excitement. “If you do travel to Hellgate, can I join you? I can ride shotgun.”
“Can you even shoot a gun, lad?” Charles asked.
“Sure. I’m certified in gun safety and maintenance. My dad, sister, and I go deer hunting every fall, and he made us take the classes.”
“If there’s no mail waiting for us in town, consider yourself hired to ride shotgun.” Charles smiled. “We’ll spend the night at the trading post and head back the next morning. Perhaps you might gather more souvenirs while there, eh?”
Oliver bobbed his head. “That’s the plan.”
Daniel prayed Charles would come up empty-handed in town. The prospect of having the entire day and night to spend alone with Meredith filled him with giddy anticipation.
“Do you think you’ll hire the deputy?” Oliver asked as the two walked home side by side.
“Perhaps. He’s a good man and well-qualified.” He shrugged. “We’ll talk to the sheriff, see what he has to say about Ben, but I’ve never heard anything untoward about him.”
“You existed in ghostly form in the twenty-first century, so you’ve seen things,” Oliver began.
“Aye.”
“You know what seems really weird to me?” the lad continued. “There’s no plastic in this era. Plastic is everywhere in my era. It’s also weird to live without refrigerators and electricity.”
“Dare I ask?” Daniel muttered. He’d heard of electricity, though he’d never seen it employed for any practical purpose, but he’d never heard of plastic or refrigerators, not that he could recall, anyway. “What is plastic?”
“You don’t remember seeing plastic water bottles on the ground in Garretsville when you haunted there?”
“I do not.”
“Hmm. It’s difficult to describe something comprised of such unlikely chemical compounds.” Oliver’s brow creased. “It’s a material made from a number of organic ingredients such as cellulose, coal, and crude oil. In my time, scientists have also figured out how to make some forms of plastic using corn.”
“Corn?” Daniel cast him a look of surprise.
“Yep. Plastic isn’t just one thing though. Some plastics are extremely thin and flexible while others are rigid. Bags, storage containers for food and other stuff like plates and cups are made of plastic. In the future, milk and a whole bunch of products are stored and sold in plastic containers.” Oliver shook his head. “It’s not good for the environment though, and by the twenty-first century, plastic has become a problem, especially the bags, which are not biodegradable.”
He couldn’t imagine what plastic might be like, so he had no idea how the stuff might be a problem. He chose to let the matter drop and forged on. “What about a refrigerator?” Daniel asked.
“It’s like a big metal box that keeps food cold so that it stays fresh longer.” Oliver used his hands to demonstrate the size.
“An icebox then.”
“Yes, except you don’t have to put any ice in it to keep things