by Cyndi Raye
You are far from stuck, Thomas! I will make sure you never touch me or see our son again!
His words prompted Melody to seek a lawyer with the determination of a woman on a mission. With some of the money she had saved, she had hired Mr. Cravet to petition the courts for a divorce. The lawyer had been surprised and warned her it was not likely she’d be granted one but Melody had insisted. She had been lucky the lawyer was able to get them on the docket in less than a few weeks. Everything had moved so fast.
While waiting for the trial, and feeling utterly trapped inside the suite for a week, she had been determined to make the four hour trip to the White Ranch after receiving a telegram from Nora White. Nora was throwing a wedding celebration for her oldest son Luke and his new wife. While there, Abigail had found out about the impending divorce case and made Melody promise to come back to the White Ranch when it was over. Melody had promised she would but at the time had little faith her divorce would ever be granted.
Now here she was, divorce granted!
Her heart was heavy. Tommy had been getting used to city life, loving the carriage rides and walking to the park when they had a chance. He even loved tagging along to the boarding house to be treated with home-made cookies and creamy milk.
She stood at the large hotel for a few seconds, Tommy’s hand in hers. “Are we going home, Mommy?”
Home right now was a large, intimidating hotel that housed her and Tommy as well as her now former husband. Since she never saw much of him before, she guessed they would try to make a go of it on their own. Tommy didn’t even ask after his father. It saddened Melody to know she failed to keep her marriage and give him the kind of family he deserved.
“Yes, Tommy. This is home for now.”
“I miss the horses, Mommy.” He bounced up and down. “I want to go see PaPa Rusty.”
She picked up Tommy, wanting him close to her and ran across the street. “Soon, Tommy. I still have to put in a few hours of work at the boarding house. Would you care to come along with me?” He loved the ranch but she was afraid now that she’d have to do the supporting, her job would keep her in the city. She didn’t have time to go to the ranch.
“Oh, yes! I love work!”
Melody smiled as they made their way into the hotel. She needed to change into her work dress and gather up some items for Tommy to keep himself occupied before they made their way to the boarding house. When she walked across the entry way, a sudden quiet chilled her bones. It wasn’t a good feeling.
The proprietor, Mr. Williams, stood at the staircase Melody and Tommy always used to get to the second floor. He held up a hand. “Wait, right there, Miss Rivers.” How did he know she was divorced and had a name change? He always called her Mrs. Cromwell.
“What seems to be the problem, sir?” Melody was starting to get nervous. “I need to get through to my room.”
He coughed then, trying to clear his throat. The man had always treated her kindly. His cheek twitched, as though he was nervous. He avoided looking into her eyes. Something was wrong and she had a feeling it had to do with Thomas.
“I’m sorry, Miss Rivers. As of this moment, you no longer have a suite here that is paid by Mr. Cromwell. He has stopped payment on the room. I’m sorry, unless you can pay the daily rate, we must ask you to leave.”
Her voice was hoarse as she whispered, “What is the daily rate?”
Melody almost fell to her knees when the proprietor quoted a figure she would never be able to afford on her pay. “I can’t possibly come up with that amount. Will you take five dollars? I can pay you for one more night if you’d accept five dollars?”
Mr. Williams shook his head. “The truth is I can’t accept anything from you, ma’am. Not even if you have the exact amount. Mr. Cromwell is a top-notch customer and we must honor our regulars. He asked if we would oust you from that suite and I’m afraid under these dire circumstances, on behalf of this facility, I must ask you to leave.”
Terror and fear strangled her throat. “Where can I go with a small child? You can’t possibly throw me out on the street?” How could Thomas let his own wife and son live on the streets of a big city?
“I don’t know, ma’am. Perhaps the boarding house where you work will take you in. If that’s what you are doing there day after day.”
She placed a hand to her hip. “What is that supposed to mean!”
He shrugged. “Rumor has it -”
Melody pinched her side to remind herself to stay calm. It wasn’t worth fighting with a man who was given orders. She was so calm headed but what she wanted to do was scream and kick her feet at anyone who got in her way. Except she was a lady. There was no way she would lose her temper.
“Very well. Where are my belongings?”
The proprietor pointed to a large cart on the sidelines of the St. George hotel’s lobby. Everything she owned was there. Clothes, dishes, small furniture and more trinkets she had brought with her just a short while ago. Her whole life was changing right in front of her eyes.
Surely, it couldn’t get any worse?
Chapter 2
“Would it be too much to ask if I may leave my belongings here until I’ve secured a place for the evening?”
Mr. Williams nodded. “I don’t see how that will hurt any. I’m sorry again, ma’am, I’m under strict instructions here. I’ll keep your belongings right where they are for twenty-four hours. Will that give you adequate time?”
Melody nodded.
“What’s wrong, Mommy? Why can’t we go home? There’s daddy, that no good, rotten, swindling -”
“Tommy! Do not repeat words you hear.”
“You said them first, Mommy.”
She swung around to see Thomas and his companion, their arms intertwined, making their way across the lobby. He refused to look her way, even when she stared at him in contempt. How can he throw away five years of their life this way?
Melody bent down. “Tommy, go over to our belongings on the cart over there and wait, please.” She made sure the boy did as told and marched across the lobby before Thomas and the woman made it to the stairwell. “Thomas, I wish to speak to you.”
He turned slowly, looking over her head, not directly into her eyes. He was a coward. Why she wanted an answer was beyond her. What had she seen in this man for the last five years?
“We are no longer married, Melody. I suggest you be on your way. I am not obligated to keep a suite here for you now that you are no longer my wife if that’s what you wanted to know.”
She placed fisted hands on her hips. “There is such a thing as courtesy. Why not at least allow me some time to find another place to live? You would allow us to live on the streets of Dallas like paupers? Is that all you think of me? I was there by your side as you went through law school. She certainly wasn’t there to encourage you the last year when you wanted to quit.”
It gave her some satisfaction when he winced. Yet, he lifted his chin as if he were arrogant royalty. “I didn’t ask you to come here, did I? Now you know the truth and can’t handle the consequences. You should have stayed away.”
Melody wanted to lash out but she refrained. If she hadn’t caught him, everything would’ve been fine. He would’ve continued to see other women and lead the life of a successful attorney with a family waiting at home in the wings, representing him as a family man.
Her lips quivered slightly but she forced them to stop. This man would not see her fall apart. She’d leave that for later, when she was alone. “You didn’t have to throw us out on the street like some homeless urchins. At least give us time to adjust and find another place to live. I’ve got a small child to keep safe!”
He lifted one shoulder. “I don’t see how you didn’t see this coming! Once you made this all public, I had to defend my honor. Cromwell is a strong, well-known family name here in Dallas. I can’t allow you to taint the name. Now I have to erase all traces of you from this dear city. Go on back to your friends at that stinky ranch you love so
much.”
He always had hated when she went to visit her grandfather at the White Ranch. She knew they would never see eye to eye. He was throwing her out on the streets like a rag doll to fend for herself. It was a cruel, heartless act of a man with no heart.
She wanted to hurt him back in that moment. “Maybe I plan to stay right here and taunt you the rest of my life. Beware, Thomas, look behind you and around every single turn as I may be there, waiting to taint your name. You disgust me!”
Thomas shook his arm loose from the blonde woman. He loomed closer, bringing his nose almost next to hers. His voice, low and angry so no one else heard, shook her to her core. “I swear Melody, if you try to cause me trouble I will make sure your son will be put in an orphanage.”
The threat caused her to step back. “You can’t do that!” Did he think she was daft. “You no longer have any say in his life. Or, mine! I’ve gotten full custody of him from the courts.”
Then he laughed, a cruel, heartless sound. It was the first time she saw such a horrid side of him. Granted, he had been gone more than he was home during their five years of marriage. Did she ever really know this man? “You are wrong. As long as you stay here in Dallas and have no roof over the kid’s head is cause enough for him to be sent to an orphanage as a vagrant. I can ask the court to send him there out of concern for a child’s safety.”
“You wouldn’t dare! An orphanage means no parents. Do not try anything foolish, Thomas!”
“The powers that be will listen to me, not you. I’m well known in this city!” he threatened again. “Now, get out of this hotel before I turn the attention on the fact you no longer have a home for the boy.”
Melody checked the baggage cart to make sure Tommy was still there. He was sitting on a carpetbag, playing with one of his wooden toys. She needed to protect him at all costs, no matter what. She turned and marched up to the woman, the one who broke up their marriage, wanting to at least have a final word before she left this hotel forever. The blonde stood close by watching her with an amused look on her face.
Melody lifted her chin. “You better enjoy him while you can!”
The blonde woman smirked. “But, I do!” She slid her arm through Thomas’s as if she owned him.
“For now you do, I’m sure. What will you do when he tires of you like he did me? You’ll be standing right here like I am, watching him on the arm of another woman!”
The blonde was no longer smiling.
“Go!” Thomas barked. “You leave now or I’ll have you thrown out!”
The proprietor of the hotel hurried up to them. “Is there a problem?” he asked, directing his question to Thomas.
Thomas stared at Melody.
Would he have her thrown out? In front of Tommy?
She wasn’t about to wait to find out. “I’m leaving. I’ll be back for my things.”
“Twenty four hours, that is as long as I can hold your belongings,” the proprietor repeated. He did seem apologetic but money talked in this hotel and she didn’t have enough.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll be back as soon as I find another place to stay.”
Melody walked with her head high and her heart shattered. She called for Tommy, who jumped from the carpetbag to join up with her. As the two left the hotel lobby, Melody began to realize exactly what she was up against. If she stayed here in Dallas, he would try to have Tommy put away. Without much money, she didn’t have too many choices.
At least she had a job.
Yesterday when she had left the boarding house where she cleaned rooms, there were two available for rent. She hoped they were still there. Perhaps Mrs. Hopper would let her stay in one until she figured out what to do and where to go. At least it was a start. Having a room didn’t qualify her son as a vagrant. Relief flooded through her. She’d show Thomas once and for all he was not going to get the upper hand.
She remembered the promise she had made to Abigail, Luke’s wife from the White Ranch. She had told Abigail when this whole ordeal was over, her and Tommy would go there. Abigail was the only other person that knew about the divorce. She hadn’t even told Rusty, her grandfather. There was no use worrying everyone. It was her problem.
She wanted to make it on her own first, to live on her own and be able to provide for her son. Melody didn’t want to be a failure, to have to go back and beg for help. At least she had to try to be independent. There had to be jobs available, the city was growing by leaps and bounds every day.
After she established herself here, by starting over, then she’d go visit the ranch and let Abigail know they were doing fine, but first she had to get things in order here. She also wanted to prove to Thomas she didn’t need him, that she was fine on her own. Why did she even care what he thought? Or maybe not so much Thomas, but herself.
Melody thought it odd the door to the boarding house was locked when she arrived. She tapped on the door several times until there was a noise from the other side. The door swung open to reveal an older lady with pure white hair stuffed under a bonnet of sorts.
“Is everything alright, Mrs. Hopper? Why is the door locked?”
Mrs. Hopper glared at her. “To keep riff-raff out!” She began to shake her finger at Melody, some of the wrinkles jiggling on her cheeks.
Melody had a bad feeling all of a sudden. She moved Tommy behind her, patting him on the shoulder. “Stay,” she warned, not knowing what words the two would exchange. Melody had a feeling Mrs. Hopper’s anger had to do with her newly announced divorce she was sure everyone knew about now that the trial was over.
“You are not to set foot inside of my boarding house, young lady. Do I make myself clear? I can’t have your type here with my guests! Now go on, be on your way!”
Melody was almost tongue-tied at the older woman’s words. “What about my job?” How in the world was she going to support herself and Tommy? Without this job she’d truly be a vagrant.
“I can’t have you here among my renters. Your presence will disgrace this business. Now, please, before I call for that nice policeman across the street, you best be on your way.”
The door slammed in her face. Melody wanted to slump to the ground and cry. Tears teetered on the rim of her eyes but she wasn’t going to fall apart. Not now. Not when Tommy was looking at her with fear in his own little eyes.
“Mommy? Why is Mrs. Hopper being such a meanie?”
“She’s having a bad day. Come along, Tommy, let’s take a nice walk.”
Where in the world would they sleep tonight? She had no home to go back to, even if it had been a hotel suite, it had become their temporary home. How dare Thomas do this to her!
They strolled the streets for some time, visiting shops on Main Street to see if there was a position to be filled. Melody checked the Market Drug Store in hopes they needed a clerk but was treated as if she had a contagious disease. They hadn’t even given her a chance to speak before asking her to leave.
Every single place either ignored her or plainly told her there was no room in their store for a divorced woman. She walked along Elm Street, checking with Dr. Thomas, the local dentist who had a help wanted sign in his window but when she got there the place was locked up. A clerk in Rick’s Furniture store below the dentist shop said the Dentist had been placed in an insane asylum for odd behavior.
The furniture store didn’t have any openings but at least the proprietor wasn’t mean like everyone else. She moved from store to shop until every single place of business had refused her. Melody had to cover Tommy’s ears at times so he didn’t hear the awful names they called her. She hadn’t realized how fast gossip spread until she became a victim herself.
After hours spent wandering, she spotted a help wanted sign in a small café across from the St. George Hotel. They had walked full circle without any luck finding work.
“Can we get something to eat? I’m hungry!” Tommy rubbed his belly. His little feet were dragging along, trying to keep up.
“Of course. Let’s
take a seat here by the window.” The two settled in while waiting for someone to take their order. Ten minutes later Melody ordered a bowl of soup and some crackers for Tommy. She didn’t choose anything for herself, afraid to spend any more money than necessary. She needed to be careful right now, making sure she had enough for a room for the night.
It was getting later by the hour. Perhaps staying in Dallas wasn’t feasible any longer, not the way she was treated. She sighed. Trying to make it on her own was near impossible when everyone turned her away. Wasn’t there anyone in this town who didn’t know she just got a divorce? How did word travel so quickly?
Regret began to eat at her inside and out. As she pushed strands of loose hair that had fallen from the neat bun she had arranged earlier, Melody longed for the tender words of her best friend. Adam White had always been there for her, from the very first time she had visited the White Ranch during those summers when she was young. Her parents had loved going to the ranch to spend their summer vacation there. She had always looked forward to leaving the city to spend time with her grandpa at the ranch. And Adam and his brothers.
They had done everything together. The times they had gone swimming together in the creek on the ranch, rode their horses across the prairie as if they were going into a battle and she even learned how to rope a calf one summer. Adam had been so much fun. They even sliced their fingers one year, combining their blood to declare to be best friends for life. She smiled as the memories came back. Everyone who lived there knew of their special friendship.
She knew the White Ranch would take her in. Melody had promised Adam’s sister-in-law, Abigail, she’d leave Dallas and go to the ranch after her divorce. She just didn’t realize it was going to be so soon. It seemed that in Dallas, there was no way for a divorced woman to start over.
The whole city spewed gossip like a rabid dog. All it took was one person who knew she was newly divorced and the news spread like wildfire. Shop after shop had refused to hire her, some even bluntly told her why. Others claimed they filled the position right before she arrived even though she knew it was a lie.
