by Chula Stone
“And thread and notions and accents?” She sighed sympathetically. “Men! All right, I can choose the materials, but I… they’ll need to be paid for. Unless you want me to put them on Mr. Sloan’s account at the store. You could work something out with him and Tr I mean, nobody would ever suspect.”
They had arrived at the back gate to the Baldwin house, so Shep held it open for her, but stayed outside. “No! That’s all right. I’ll get you some money to cover whatever you’ll need from Chuck. You can’t tell anyone who it’s for.”
“I see. Don’t worry about a thing. I know how to keep my own council.”
He was sure she did. Shep rushed off to get his cash, which he kept mostly hidden in his room on the Frogleg so he wouldn’t fritter it away carelessly like other cowboys did. After the bunkhouse, Shep made a quick swing by the cabin to take hasty measurements of the four small windows. By the time he got back to town, he figured she would be working at the city offices, so he went to the back door and finding it open, let himself inside.
He followed the sounds of sweeping and found her in the front hallway. When she saw him, she hurried over and accepted the coins he gave her. Once she had counted them, she offered about half the money back to him. “That’s too much, unless we’re making curtains for a place as big as the Baldwin’s and the Branson’s together,” she informed him cheerfully.
He handed her the paper where he had written the measurements. “You keep whatever’s left over as a down payment on your services.”
“I’ll get to this right away,” Betty said looking over the paper with a nod. “Just as soon as I finish a rush job I just got a little while ago.”
“Another job? But I need this done right away.”
Betty looked concerned. “You didn’t tell me you were in a rush. Now I don’t know what to do.”
“Who is your new client? Surely he won’t mind. I did put my order in first.” Shep tried to be gentle, but he wanted this job done.
“Funny you should ask that,” Betty said musingly.
“How is it funny?”
“Because… my other client wants my discretion just as much as you do, if not more. And I’m no blabbermouth.”
“I’ll double the fee. Whatever he offered you, I’ll pay twice.”
“Oh, now, Mr. Shepard, really, what a thing to say! I won’t tell, no matter what you offer me.”
“No, not for the name! Just for the service. You’re fast enough, I’ll bet you can get them both done in a jiffy. I just want to be able to tell… my client that we were first.”
Betty scowled to herself, thinking hard. “I can’t see as that would hurt. Double the money, and two jobs at that, so kind of like three jobs… that would go such a long way toward… well, it would come in mighty handy. And I could use the money to buy all the materials I need right now, rather than having to wait.”
“Didn’t your other client give you money to get started on?” Shep enquired.
Betty paused before answering, as if checking to make sure nothing she said would reveal too much about her employer. “The deal was done in writing.”
“So you don’t know this other client, do you?” Shep accused. “Then there’s no problem. He’ll never know he had to wait.”
“Oh, I know the client, all right. The note was signed. There just wasn’t any way for me to get any up-front money for supplies.”
Shep heard a noise and looked down the hallway. “Who was that? The person who delivered the letter with the other order?” If he could get a glimpse of him, that might indicate who had asked Betty for her services.
“Who, that? No, that’s just Mr. Branson. He’s always looking up something or other.”
“And you’re here with him alone?” Suddenly it occurred to Shep that this other client might be a ruse to cover some clandestine meeting she had planned. It was no concern of his and yet, he hated to see a young lady take such chances. What if it were Treli up to this kind of mischief? He would want someone to stop her. No, what he’d want was for somebody to inform him so he could stop her, but since there was no one to tell, he’d have to do it himself.
“I found long ago that if I just let him in, he’ll stay away from me. It’s when I try to keep him out that he gets touchy, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ll show him ‘touchy’ if he lays a hand on you,” Shep declared.
Betty waved a hand at him to shush him. “Won’t you please just go on and let me get done here so I can get home and start on these curtains?”
“How can you start tonight? I thought you said you didn’t have the material?”
“I know where the key to the dry goods store is hidden. I take in mending and sewing for customers and let myself in and out. As long as I leave the money in the till, I can help myself to the things I need. I’ve done it before and Mr. Vaughn was happy to let me. He knows I work long hours and I can’t always get in before closing time.”
“That’ll be fine then.” Shep sat his hat more securely on his head and made for the door. “Though I don’t like the idea of you rattling around Chuck’s store by yourself after hours any more than here.”
Partly because he was so disturbed by the idea of her after hours’ transactions at the dry goods store, and partly because he hoped to learn who her other client was, Shep waited in the shadows for Betty to emerge. It would set his mind at ease to know that she wasn’t secretly dealing with Branson for some strange and unimaginable reason. Surely, she wasn’t working for him! But who else could it be that needed to stay secret? And who knew what a woman might do? It was clear that no good would come of her working for Branson any more than she absolutely had to. He needed to make sure, so he followed her.
He felt a moment of sad satisfaction when she bypassed the general store and headed toward Branson’s house where Bailey lived with his uncle and aunt. He had known that sidewinder must be involved. Betty just couldn’t tell how Branson’s scheme, whatever it might be, would end up getting her in trouble, but Shep was determined to help her if he could. Then, to his surprise, she slipped past the Branson house as well and made her way to the boarding house, which had obviously been her goal all along.
The lazy early autumn evening sun was finally slipping under the tree line and the shadows thickened into some usefulness. Shep was able to keep out of sight on his way to the back of the house where the cherry tree seemed to beckon him. He wouldn’t look, he promised himself, but a little listen wouldn’t hurt. Then, if Treli were in, he’d ask her to go have a quick word with Betty and see what she was up to. It was as good an excuse as any and if he played his cards right, he could steal a quick kiss along the way.
He kept his head low and strained to hear above the droning of the crickets in the shrubs. Just about the time he braced his feet to raise his head above the level of Treli’s window sill, he heard a knock on her door. A moment later, Betty’s voice surprised him enough that he nearly fell out of the tree.
“Treli, I found your note. You could have just waited till I got home.”
“I wanted to be sure you came to see me as soon as you got here,” Treli answered.
“Well, you are a dear, to think of me and send business my way. I appreciate it.”
“I know how busy you are, what with all your jobs all over town, but can you do it?”
“I’ll be happy to.”
Treli’s voice sounded strained, as if she were trying to figure out how to say something she didn’t want to come right out and say. “You’re sure your gentleman friend won’t mind?”
Betty, in her usual down-to-earth way, answered without any hesitation. “I haven’t got any admirers, Treli. You know that. The only thing that will get in the way is actually another order and it’s a good one. The only problem is that I had to promise to get to work on this other project right away. That means I’ll have to delay starting on your curtains. You don’t mind, do you?”
Shep’s grip on the limb tightened until the wood creaked. Treli
was the client? What was Treli doing ordering curtains? She didn’t need them at the boarding house. Was she planning on leaving?
“It’s not up to me, Betty. I told you in my note who they’re for.”
“But this other client is willing to pay double. I have a chance to make a tidy sum of extra cash.”
“A tidy sum? What do you mean?” Treli sounded as suspicious as Shep felt.
“I mean, I’ll get double the fee for the same work. Isn’t it wonderful? I can really use that money!” Betty’s voice held as much joy as exasperation.
“But we’re in a hurry. I told you that already in the note. That’s why I couldn’t even wait to tell you in person. I’m sure she won’t mind paying the extra as well.”
In a hurry? That made it all the worse. How impatient was this girl, that she couldn’t even give him a week to propose properly? Was there a real client Treli was ordering for? Or was that just Treli’s way of trying to pressure Betty into completing her order first?
“Oh, Treli, don’t put me in this position! I don’t want to tell fibs to either party, but the fact of the matter is, it’s just some silly old sewing and I could be half way done with both projects if I weren’t taking up all this time haggling back and forth! Why is it so important to be first?”
“Because we want to put up the curtains tomorrow. Tell you what I’ll do. You know that lovely alpaca yarn you asked me to sell you? The dye is almost dry on the second lot and when it’s ready, I’ll sell it all to you. I was going to save some for myself, but you can have my entire share. It’s a lovely shade of blue and will make beautiful sweaters you can sell. And really, what will it matter? As you said, you’ll be done with both projects before you have to see this other client again, so no one will ever know! Who is it, by the way?”
“Like I said before, I’m no blabbermouth. People don’t like having their business spread all over town.” Betty’s boots made heavy clopping noises for a moment and Shep guessed she was getting ready to leave. “I’ll get all the sewing done if I have to work all night. You get me that wool and I’ll be grateful forever. It’s wonderful! Now, I’ve got to run to the general store and hope nobody sees me letting myself in and out.”
“Are you sure there’s not a beau out there who could walk with you to the store and back?”
Betty laughed but if she made any other answer, Shep couldn’t hear it. This exchange put him in a better mood on two accounts. First, if Treli were planning on putting curtains up right away, that meant that she couldn’t be planning to move far. Second, Betty was being very fair in keeping the confidentiality he had requested.
In the next moment however, his attention was caught again as Treli announced, “Fair enough. You get busy with your needle. I can’t wait to take the finished product to Pinkie!”
At that point, Shep did fall out of the tree, but the sound of the door closing must have muffled the noise of his fall because Treli never looked out to see what had happened. At first, he lay in the bushes, trying not to laugh or groan too loudly and wondering what he was supposed to do about this absurd situation. Eventually, he picked himself up and climbed back into the cherry tree.
As soon as he heard the door close behind Betty, Shep tapped on Treli’s half-open window. She startled visibly, then her face went through a series of emotional stages that ran the gamut from simple joy to smoldering anger. Shep would have found it comical if she hadn’t ended in a very obvious chill rivaling the huge northeaster he had endured on the prairie his last winter in the Army. In fact, it was all he could do to stick his boot toe in the window before she slammed it down in his face. “Hey, what’s gotten into you?” he hissed, not wanting to alert anyone in the house to his presence.
“Haven’t you got your boot in the wrong window? Betty’s room is on the other side of the house,” Treli shot back frostily.
“Betty? Why would I want to talk to her?”
“I don’t know. Why did you want to talk to her?”
“Ah, now the penny drops! You saw me with Betty earlier today, did you? And you’re jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous? You’re free to see anyone you want.”
“You have nothing to be jealous of. I wasn’t sneaking around or anything. I even tried to get her to come into the café so I could see you.”
“Like I said, I wasn’t jealous,” Treli retorted.
With a flick of his toe, Shep forced the window open and climbed through. When he tried to take the girl in his arms though, she backed away from him. He merely advanced on her with a slow, steady pace until she was trapped between his tall hard body and the flowered wallpaper. “You know there’s nobody else for me but you.”
“Then why did you need to talk to her so badly today that you chased all over town to find her?”
“Remember how I told you that Vince has hired me to fix up that cottage? Well, now he wants curtains made. I figured Betty was the best one to do it.”
“Curtains? But... I just…”
“These are going to be the best curtained windows in town. Maybe in the whole state.” Shep cocked an eyebrow at Treli and leaned in a little closer. “You should have trusted me. Now because of your jealousy, Betty is going to make two sets of curtains for the same windows.”
“I was not jealous, but if I were, what would that have to do with curtains?”
“We both know that if you wanted curtains for the cottage, you are perfectly capable of making them yourself. You just wanted an excuse to be sure to see Betty tonight and that was the only one you could come up with. So you ordered curtains! What are we supposed to do with all those drapes?”
“Well, if somebody hadn’t been gallivanting all around town with other girls, I wouldn’t have needed the excuse.”
“So this is my fault?” His incredulous tone gave way to mirth.
“Of course it is.” A tiny laugh escaped Treli’s lips before she could cover her mouth with her hand. “And Vince Sloan will just have to pay for two sets of curtains.”
“Since he’s paying double for his, he’ll actually be paying for three,” Shep observed drily. “And he was essentially bidding against his own wife for Betty’s services.”
That set them both off and they had trouble keeping the noise under control. Shep backed up, allowing Treli to move to the bed while he perched on her trunk. The room was so small, he hardly had to bend at all to reach and pull her to him. She was still laughing so hard, she didn’t notice that his chortles had subsided. “Treli, you know good and well I can’t let you get away with this.”
“With what?” she asked, still chuckling.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Pinkie never ordered those curtains.”
Treli leaned away from him, trying to free her hand. “How do you know?”
“You couldn’t have seen her between the time I walked past the café and the time you wrote that note.”
“Well, I know she will want curtains once she thinks of them.”
“And I know that you’ve just told your friend a real whopper. And telling whoppers gets you a whooping.” So saying, he gave just a little jerk and twist with his hand. Treli landed face down over his lap.
“Stop this right now, Shep! What if Aunt Mina came in?”
“She’d probably applaud, once she found out what you’d done.”
“I didn’t lie to you,” Treli replied defensively.
“You better be glad you didn’t! That would get you a nice long session with my belt. As it is, I’ll just give you five with your hairbrush.”
“No, you won’t!”
He popped her backside several times with his hard palm. “What was that?”
“Keep it down! Someone will hear.”
He spanked her harder, the smacks landing one right after the other. Even over her clothing, he knew the swats had to sting. “The longer this goes on, the more likely that is. Now, will you go get your hairbrush?” He moved the arm that was holding her across his lap so that she could sta
nd but didn’t release his grip on her wrist.
“Why should I?” Treli demanded.
“Because I asked you to.” Shep cocked an eyebrow at Treli, willing her to obey him, letting his words sink in. “And if you cooperate now, I’ll know you’re really sorry.”
“But… you’re not going to let this go, are you? No matter how long I stall, you’re going to wait me out.”
“That’s about the size of it.”
“Oh, all right,” she gave in with ill grace. “I feel rotten about lying to Betty so maybe you should just get it over with.”
“Smart girl.”
She stomped over to her little nightstand and retrieved her solid wooden hairbrush. “This will be too loud. Someone will hear. And it will hurt!”
“It’s supposed to hurt. And no one will hear if you hush and let me get on with it.”
She brought him the hairbrush and he helped her back over his lap, making sure her skirt was tucked under her waist so that it fit tight around her bottom. With short hard strokes, he brought the hairbrush down on her right side five times, then switched and gave the left five strokes. She bucked and writhed but couldn’t make any headway against his constraining arm.
“You said only five!” she hissed at him.
“Five on each side,” he corrected. “I ought to keep going, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get caught up here. I want to marry you quickly, but not with the business end of Aunt Mina’s shotgun sticking in my gullet.” He helped her stand up and took her in his arms.
“I thought you were going to leave,” she murmured after a lingering, tender kiss.
“After a spanking, I’ll always remind you why and the reason will always be the same: because I love you.” He risked one more long caress before making for the window.
She gave him a quick push. “Go on now. If you put a ring on my finger, I want it to be because you want to, not because we got caught and had to.”
“A ring! That’s what…”
“What what?”
The detail he couldn’t put his finger on was the thing he needed to buy to put a finger in. Her finger, more precisely. He needed a ring and not just any old ring from the dry good store. He had enough laid by to get her something beautiful. Instantly, he made up his mind. “I’ve got to go away for a few days, sweetheart. Don’t do anything until I get back, all right? Promise me?”
