After the Storm: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 2) (6 page)

              “You’re moving out of home?” Marcus asked.

              “Yes.  I’m ready to be independent.  It doesn’t have to be overly fancy and I don’t mind fixing it up.  It’ll be fun.”

              Marcus thought for a few moments.  “Check with Sawyer.  I think the apartment overtop of his shop is for rent, actually.  I heard him mention it.”

              “That would be perfect as long as the rent is reasonable,” she said.  “I’ll check with him this evening.”  She cleaned up her area and rose.  “Thank you for the advice and for the lead on an apartment.”

              “You’re welcome,” Marcus said.  “Always willing to help.”

              “And that’s why everyone loves you so much,” Renee said, squeezing his arm before leaving the cafeteria.

              Meeting Kyle’s family the following Monday was an experience unlike Art had ever known.  As soon as they stepped off the train in Helena, the Dwyer clan surrounded them, Lacey embracing Kyle tightly as she cried with joy over his safe return.  Everyone else shed tears, too.  Kyle laughed and blinked back tears as he was passed from one person to another. 

              It felt surreal to be among his family again and he tried to keep up with what everyone was telling him.  It was impossible; finally, he said, “Hey!  Slow down, everybody.  I can’t talk to you all at once.”

              Devon said, “We can’t help it.  We’ve just missed you so much.”

              He smiled at his little sister.  “And I missed you, too.  Now, let me introduce you to my good friend, Art Perrone.  Art, these are my parents, Lacey and Joe.”

              Art had been expecting a cool reception despite what Kyle had told him.  He was shocked when Lacey hugged him and Joe warmly shook his hand, clapping him on the shoulder.

              “Art, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lacey said.  “Thank you for keeping Kyle safe.”

              “We owe you, son,” Joe said.  “I don’t know what sort of work you do, but there are a couple of different jobs you could work at if you want.  We’ll get into all that later, though.”

              The rest of the family was just as welcoming as they introduced themselves.  Then the two men were borne to the Dwyer estate amid much laughter and conversation.  Art thought,
it’s like a party on wheels.
  He’d never ridden in such a fancy car as the Brougham and marveled at its leather interior and shiny black paint job. 

              There were more surprises in store for him.  When they arrived at the estate, his eyes grew huge when he saw the sprawling mansion and huge white barns with black trim.  They’d recently been painted to match the house and their appearance was pristine and impressive.

              Kyle grinned at Art’s awed expression.  “You thought I was lyin’, didn’t you?” he asked.

              “Not lyin’, but I thought you might be stretchin’ the truth,” Art admitted.

              “Nope,” Kyle said as they pulled up in front of the house.

              Joe said, “C’mon, boys.  Cora and Lucy are cooking dinner and you don’t wanna keep them waitin’ it on you.  They get a little cranky about that.”

              Kyle said, “I don’t think they’ll get cranky today, Daddy.”

              “I expect you’re right,” Joe said, giving him another sideways hug.

              The front door opened and more people spilled out of the house.  Art was surprised to see a tall, buxom, older black woman grab Kyle, holding him tightly while he kissed her and returned her embrace wholeheartedly.

              Art was introduced again; the men shook hands with him and a couple of the women hugged him.  He didn’t know what to make of it all.  A little girl named Jasmine took his hand and led him inside.

              “You can sit by me at dinner,” she informed him.  “I’ll show you my ferret, Percy, later.  You’ll like him.”

              He smiled at her.  “I can, huh?  All right.  I never turn down an invite from a pretty lady.”

              “Smart man,” she said, making him laugh.

              The house was as impressive inside as outside and Art looked around with wonder at the marble-floored foyer and parlor.  He noticed that there were quite a few Indian accents around the place and thought that Kyle hadn’t stretched the truth about that, either.  He’d noticed Joey’s wife, Snow Song, and could tell that the beautiful young woman was part Lakota.  Other than the shape of her face, she didn’t resemble Hailey much, though.

              Art wondered if Hailey would show up.  She’d left Europe before he and Kyle had, so he knew she was home by now.  He felt an arm slip through his and looked down at Lacey.

              “Now, Art, you come with me.  I’ll show you to your room and you can change and freshen up there,” she said.

              Kyle hadn’t mentioned that he’d be staying in the house.  “Oh, no, ma’am.  A bunkhouse or the barn would be just fine.”

              “Nonsense,” Lacey said.  “You’re our guest and we don’t put our guests in the bunkhouses or barn unless we’re having a party and there’s not enough room in the house for everyone to stay over.  Come with me.”

              He didn’t argue as she led him down a long hallway and turned left into another long hallway.  She stopped midway down and opened a door.  “Here you go.  There’s a bathhouse right through that door over there and a washroom in the room right over here.”

              Art just knew he was going to get lost in a house this big.  “Yes, ma’am.  Thank you.” 

              “Come on out whenever you’re ready,” she said.

              Chester came down the hall with Art’s duffel bag.  “I believe this is yours, sir,” he said.

              Art almost looked around to see to whom Chester was speaking.  No English butler had ever called him “sir.”  He took the bag.  “Thanks.  Much obliged.”

              “You’re quite welcome.  It’s good to have you with us, Mr. Perrone.”

              “Oh, just call me Art.”

              Chester smiled.  “Then you must call me Chester.”

              Art returned his smile.  “Ok.  I’ll do that.”

              Chester bowed a little and left them.

              “Art, if there’s anything you need, just ask.  You’re among friends here,” she said, her meaning plain to him.

              Deeply touched, Art said, “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Dwyer.”

              “You might not be thanking us for long,” she said, her eyes twinkling.  “We’re a rowdy bunch.  I’ll leave you to it.  See you at dinner.”

              “Yes, ma’am.”

              As Art closed the door to his room, he felt like he’d stepped into an alternate universe as he looked at the fine furniture and paintings.  He gathered up clean clothes and found the washroom.  Once he’d cleaned up and changed, he put his clothes in the hamper he found in his room and went out to the dining room.

              Cora, Lucy, and a few other people were helping bring food to the table.

              “Can I help with anything?” he asked Cora.

              “No, sir.  You’re a guest of honor.  Go on and sit down,” she said.

              Kyle came into the dining room.  “Don’t argue with her, Art.  She’s tougher than any drill sergeant and she’ll withhold pie if you don’t listen to her.  You don’t want that.”

              Art smiled.  “I’ll remember that.”

              Jasmine patted the chair next to her.  “Art, you promised you’d sit with me.”

              “Yes, I did and I always keep my promises,” he said, sitting down.

              Art’s gaze roamed over the people who gathered around the table and marveled at seeing whites, coloreds, and Indians all sitting together.  Not to mention that many of the people there were employees who were treated like family.  It was a strange, wonderful place and Art was glad to be a part of it.

*****

              The next day, Renee looked around the little apartment over Sawyer’s shop.  He’d come upstairs with her to inspect it, too.  Although he trusted the woman who owned the building, he still wanted to make sure the place was in good shape. 

              “All of the windows are intact and none of the floorboards are warped,” he said as he walked through the small parlor into the bedroom.  “There’s even a decent closet in here.”

              She joined him.  “Yes.  You’re right.  I don’t like these pink walls, but I can paint them.”

              “Actually, I think they were some sort of orange at some point, but it looks like it faded.”

              Renee made a face.  “That’s even worse.  Maybe a light green or a cream color.  Then I could change drapes whenever I wanted.”

              “Good idea.  You better make up your mind quick.  There’ve been a lot of people looking at it.  Mrs. Bissinger will rent it to whoever gives her the money first,” Sawyer said.

              Renee liked the apartment with the eat-in kitchen.  It also had a nice little pantry and several cupboards.  Eleven dollars a month wasn’t terribly expensive and she knew that she could swing it, especially if she picked up an odd job somewhere.  She calculated the funds at her disposal.

              Between her paycheck and the money she’d made playing pool, she had enough for the first month’s rent and she was sure that she could pick up some secondhand furniture.  At least enough for a bed and dresser.

              “I’ll take it.  Let’s go tell her,” she said.

              Sawyer smiled at the excited light in her eyes.  “Great!  Now I can bug you on your days off and when I’m working late on developing pictures.”

              She let out a happy little squeal and they left the apartment.  Mrs. Bissinger waited for them downstairs in Sawyer’s photography studio. 

              “Mrs. Bissinger, it’s a lovely place and I’ve decided to take it,” Renee said.

              The middle-aged woman’s eyes lit up.  “Wonderful!”

              Renee counted out eleven dollars.  “Here you are,” she said, handing it over.

              “Very good.  Let me write you a receipt,” Mrs. Bissinger said.  “Here are the keys and you can go ahead and move in whenever you want.  This will be for April’s rent.  There’s only a few days left in this month.  I’m just glad it won’t be empty anymore.”

              “Thank you so much,” Renee said.

              “You’re welcome.  Well, good day to you both and enjoy your apartment,” Mrs. Bissinger said.

              Once she left, Renee danced around gleefully.  “My first apartment!  I can’t believe it.  I owe Marcus!  And you for putting in a good word for me.”  She hugged Sawyer.  “I have to get some furniture.”

              Sawyer grinned as she rattled off all of the things she wanted.  “Hang on, Renee.  I can help you with a few of those things.  I think Mama and Pa have some furniture in the attic at their place that you could have.”

              “I’ll pay them for it,” Renee said.  “I don’t expect handouts.”

              “You’ll have to talk to them about that part, but I’ll bet a lot of people you know have good furniture they’re willing to part with,” Sawyer said.  “Devon and I are going out there for supper tonight.  I’ll ask them for you, ok?”

              “You are such a sweet man and a good friend.  I have to get back to work.  I don’t want to be late getting back from lunch,” Renee said.  She never took advantage of the fact that her mother was the administrator of the hospital.  When she was at work, she was just another employee and she didn’t expect special treatment.  “I’ll stop by on lunch tomorrow to see what they say, ok?”

              “Sounds good,” Sawyer said.

              “Ta ta,” she said, leaving his shop.

              Sawyer chuckled and went back to work.

*****

              Polly, the nurse on the desk that afternoon, found Renee cleaning the room of a patient who’d just gone home.

              “Well, Miss Renee, you have one heck of an admirer,” she said.

              “What do you mean?” Renee asked as she finished making the bed.

Polly looked at the colorful pillowcase on the bed and smiled.  “They really do look cheery.”

              “Thank you.  There’s enough stark white in here.  We need to warm it up a bit.  Anyway, what were you saying about an admirer?” Renee said, brushing a lock of dark hair from her forehead.

              “Come out to the desk and see,” Polly said.

              Renee gasped when she saw the dozen red roses in a vase sitting on the desk.  “They’re for me?”

              “That’s what the delivery man said.  Read the card before I die of curiosity!”

              Renee giggled and plucked the card from among the beautiful arrangement.

              Your presence is requested at 7 p.m. this evening at Delaney’s for a celebratory dinner.

              Fondly, T.D.

              Renee laughed.  “They’re from Timmy.  He wants to have dinner tonight.”

              “My goodness!” Polly said.  “That’s some invitation.  I thought you were just friends.”

              Renee frowned a little.  “We are.  I think.  I don’t know.”

              Polly gave her a knowing look.  “A man doesn’t send red roses when he’s just a friend.”

              “It’s a little muddled right now,” Renee said with a fluttering hand gesture.  “We’ll see.  Don’t say anything.”

              “When have I ever betrayed your confidence?” Polly responded.