Texas Twilight (12 page)

“
Storage
room. Can’t even get into it any more. Has thirty five years
of
stuff
packed
inside.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Some of it payment for
services, some just things I couldn’t live without. Now it’s a
millstone around my neck.”

“It’s part of the doctor’s office building,
then? What if I wanted to use it for something?”

“I reckon you could. But, like I said, it’s
near on full.”

“What kind of stuff? You want any of it.”

“You name it. Glassware, cloth, gadgets and
gizmos. Horseshoes, saddles, tools, furniture, whatnots.” He
laughed. “See what you have to look forward to? Guess I don’t want
any of it since I’ve not even gone in there for years. And I don’t
need it for anything. You really want to clean it out?”

“Depends. Does the bank hold any title?”

Bixby whistled and shook his head. “I’m not
indebted to that snake. I like that man about as much as a cat
likes to swim. Since he’s come to town a handful of years ago, more
people than not have up and lost their properties. Don’t trust him
a bit.”

“Well, we agree on something, then. What
about living quarters? Any upstairs?”

“Of sorts. But very small.”

“I have friends in need of a place to start
business in. Problem is, they don’t have much money now. In return
for them cleaning up the place and fixing it up a bit, maybe you’d
offer to let them sell the contents—since you say you have no need
of them—and split the profit with you? What do you think?”

Bixby stared at him for a long moment. “I’d
be relieved. And grateful.”

The building might just be a solution for
Lily and Harriett’s problem. He could feel his anger abating, at
which point he noticed the gnawing hunger in his stomach. He needed
food before he did another thing.

“I’m starved and don’t have the volition or
the time to fix anything myself. Where can you direct me to get a
good, fast noontime plentiful plate of food?”

“The saloon does a first-rate steak or stew.
Or, the Cheddar Box down the street across from the livery usually
has some palatable specials. There’s also the Union Hotel, but I’m
not taking responsibility if you go there. It’s on the road out to
the McCutcheon ranch. You most likely passed it on your way to
town.”

“You’re a wealth of knowledge, Bixby, thanks.
Anyone interested in joining me?”

“Martha fixed us breakfast this morning,”
Bixby said. Tucker just shook his head.

“Okay then, I’m off to the Cheddar Box, just
in case anyone’s asking.”

On the way John ducked into the mercantile to
introduce himself to the Grady’s. Nel and Betty were friendly
enough and had a nice selection of goods. John was impressed. As he
gazed at the knickknacks behind the cash register a porcelain
figurine caught his eye. No mistaking the German dress and
kerchief. The petite maid was holding a milk bucket and there was a
small periwinkle flower at her feet. It was the exact color of
Lily’s eyes. A slow smile formed. Did he dare? Why on earth would
he buy her a gift?

“May I see that?” He pointed to the figurine
and Mrs. Grady quickly brought it to him.

“This is a beautiful piece we just got in
last month. It’s imported from Germany and is hand painted.” She
carefully put it into John’s hands.

Instantly he knew, for whatever reason, he
had to buy it. Perhaps her birthday was coming up? Or, maybe a gift
when she and her aunt had gotten their shop up and running. They
were friends. Had been through so much together already. It didn’t
mean anything more than that.

Holding her skirt off the ground Lily ran
toward John’s office. She opened the door and hurried inside.
“John,” she called while trying to catch her breath. “John, are you
here?”

An old man met her in the waiting room. “Is
Dr. McCutcheon here?”

“You just missed him.” Lily could see his
mind twirling like a windmill. One of his bushy gray brows lifted
when he said, “You can find him at the Cheddar Box having his
midday meal.” He pointed past her and out the window. “Across from
the livery.”

When she finally reached the restaurant, she
rushed inside. She spotted John and one other table of customers.
John hadn’t seen her enter. A waitress had just set a plate filled
with food before him and he was cutting into it with relish. His
eyes were on his plate as he lifted a forkful of meat to his
mouth.

He looked up, surprised. “Lily. Hello.” He
set down his fork and knife. His smile faded as she struggled to
catch her breath. “Would you care to join—”

“It’s Tante. I can’t wake her up.”

He stood abruptly, his napkin falling from
his lap to the wooden floor. “She at the hotel?” Lily nodded. He
took two coins from his pocket and placed them on the tablecloth,
then rushed out the door.

J
ohn set
Harriett’s black box into his doctor’s bag. “My guess is morphine,
a powerful pain-reliever. Maybe Harriett had some sort of accident
when she was young and is still addicted to what she was given for
the pain. Many of the soldiers after the war have become
dependent.”

Lily only nodded.

“Do you have any idea where she’s getting
it?”

“No.” Her voice was low, like a child’s, and
her teeth chewed on her lower lip.

“No, I guess you wouldn’t.” John folded his
stethoscope and put it away.

“Does she ever complain of having pain?”

“Yes, sometimes she complains about her back.
I just thought she meant pain in general. Maybe she fell off a
horse or something?”

Lily’s brows were drawn down in a worried
line over her eyes. She glanced at her aunt’s travel bag. “What am
I supposed to tell her when she wakes up and sees her box is
missing?”

“The truth. That I have whatever this is
locked up in my office for safekeeping. Then send for me. You don’t
have to deal with this alone.”

Lily turned and walked to the window. He
followed but stopped short, giving her the space she seemed to
need.

“Have I upset you?”

She shook her head, making the mass of golden
hair ripple and reminding him of aspen leaves in the fall. “No,
you’ve done nothing wrong. I am just worried about my Tante. She is
old. I think she might die.”

John took her shoulders and gently turned her
toward him. “At her age, you know that that is always a
possibility. Right?”

“Of course.” She regarded him intently. “I
just wish I had known about the drugs before. Maybe there was
something I could have done to help her.”

John tugged her into his arms and held her
close. Her body was compliant, and she didn’t pull away. On the
contrary, her hands came up and circled his neck.

“Or perhaps I could have worked harder to
talk her out of this idea of coming to Texas,” she murmured close
to his neck, as if it were the most natural thing on earth for them
to be embracing. “It seemed so farfetched at the time and even more
so now.”

When he felt her fingers playing with the
back of his hair, John bent his head and found Lily’s forehead,
kissing it softly. “Why did she arrange the trip in the first
place?”

“She said she needed a dryer climate for her
health. However, she has never been sickly in that way. She has
never had a cough or suffered from the influenza. If may be so bold
to say, I think that she was making that up.”

John knew it must be terribly hard for Lily
to imply that her aunt had lied. He wished there was something he
could do to make her feel better. He’d help in any way he could,
especially be a supportive shoulder for her to lean on. “I may have
solved one of your problems.”

She lifted her head to gaze into his eyes.
“What do you mean? Did you change the banker’s mind?”

She slid from embrace and instantly his arms
felt empty. “Uh, not quite. I did talk to him, but we didn’t quite
see eye to eye.”

She nodded, knowing what he was implying.

“But I have found a building for you and your
aunt to set up in. You can use it free of charge.” When her face
clouded over he added quickly, “That is, until you’re on your feet
financially, so to speak, and then you can start paying rent.”

A spark came back into her eyes as she
searched his face. “Where?”

“Let me just say first that it’s small and
needs considerable work. But there’s a living space upstairs
too.”

Lily clapped her hands once and went up on
her toes in excitement. “Where is it?”

“Remember my office? The run down, ramshackle
of a place? Well, it’s right next door. Actually, it’s part of the
medical buildings. Dr. Bixby is using it as a storage room.”

Lily glanced across the room at her aunt. “So
you are the landlord, then?”

“I will be when Dr. Bixby retires. But for
now, it’s his. He said he hasn’t even been in the building for five
years though, so don’t worry about putting him out. I think he was
even anxious to get the responsibility of it off his mind.”

She smiled, and held his gaze for several
long moments. “It sounds like an answer to my prayers. If it is
available I will work hard to clean it up.”

“Well, don’t make any decisions now. Wait
until you come over and go through it. It might be more work than
it’s worth.” He went over and picked up his black bag and moved
toward the door. “I’ll be back in a little while to check on
Harriett. Just keep your eye on her.” She nodded as he let himself
out and closed the door.

***

Charity climbed into the stage in Y Knot and
straightened her plain brown skirt around her legs. She smiled at
the woman she was seated next to, and the young son sitting on her
lap. Luke reached in and handed Charity her small satchel, which
she took and placed beneath her seat. Mark waited on the boardwalk,
having already given her a brotherly hug.

Luke winked as he patted her knee. “Ma’s
going to be real happy to know you’ve finally decided to go. Like
you said, three months will fly by. Besides, you may even enjoy
yourself.” He smiled as if trying to convince himself of his own
words. “Consider it an adventure,” he added.

“Ten minutes,” the stage line employee
shouted from the office doorway. His worn-out Levis were stuffed
into tall black army boots and a green vest hugged his body. He
snapped his pocket watch closed and disappeared into the dark
interior. The driver moved around, getting comfortable. Luke backed
away for a moment to let another passenger into the coach. The
young man sat opposite Charity and the other woman and child. Luke
gave him a no-tom-foolery look. “You behave yourself, Theodore
Browning. Understand?” He was a couple of years older than Charity
and the son of the only attorney in Y Knot, the man who did the
legal work for the ranch.

“Yes, sir,” he answered, clearly intimidated
by Luke’s hard look.

“Out of the way, McCutcheon,” a voice said
from the boardwalk.

“Brandon,” Charity said in surprise. She
tamped down her pleasure at seeing him as she took in the sight of
his strong, handsome face and earnest eyes.

“Thought you’d get away without saying
goodbye?” He leaned into the door. “Why didn’t you tell me you were
going? I had to hear it from your brother this morning. I can’t
believe you’re doing this. You always said you’d never even
consider going to that silly school. I’m confounded. You already
know all the manners you’ll ever need.”

“That’s a lot to say in one breath, Sheriff,”
she teased with forced humor. “I guess I changed my mind.” Brandon
looked so serious she had to glance away. It was impossible to hide
anything from him. He seemed to know everything she was thinking,
what was in her heart, and all her dreams. It had been like that
since she was just a girl and he was a gangly youth. She’d miss him
for sure, more than she’d let herself admit.

“Five minutes!”

People were milling around and Charity felt
the coach move an inch or so as the horses danced in anticipation.
Lacey’s School for Proper Ladies was located in the northern
regions of Denver. The road there was safe and well traveled, but
tiresome and boring. She’d covered the same route with her family
many times in years past. Why then did this feel so permanent? She
hadn’t thought at the time she was dreaming up her idea that
leaving would be so hard.

Brandon looked over his shoulder briefly,
then back at Charity. “Since you’re set on going, I’ll wish you God
speed. Take care of…” He stopped as the station man came up to
close the door. Brandon stepped back and joined Luke and Mark on
the boardwalk. His expression was bleak, and…she wasn’t sure…maybe
a little angry? She hated to leave under these circumstances.

Charity leaned out the window and waved a
gloved hand. “Good bye,” she called, flashing the brightest smile
she could muster. The other passengers leaned out their windows
too. Luke and Mark both smiled and waved, oblivious to her true
intentions. But Brandon just stared. She’d bet he knew something
was up, he just didn’t know what it was. The coach lurched once
when the driver called out to the four-horse team, then rolled
away.

A
week had come
and gone since the decision to make the dilapidated storage room
into a real shop. Lily carried a brass spittoon through the main
room, out the door and onto the boardwalk. Looking around carefully
to avoid tripping, she searched until she found a spot between
several other items and carefully set it down.

Tucker came through the door behind her with
two axes and dropped them next to a bucket. “Whew, can you believe
all this stuff?”

Lily stretched her back muscles and wiped her
arm across her moist brow. “No. I can’t. I’ve never seen such a
mismatch of things in one place in all my life. It’s amazing. But,
I can see just how cute this building is going to be once it’s
cleared, cleaned and painted. With the big window, and all the
ideas John is suggesting, I think it will be charmant.”