City Girl (Yellow Rose Trilogy 3)

by Lori Wick

  shortcut, ma'am."

  Reagan did little more than nod, not aware that she was

  still frowning in ill humor. Not until the cowboy went on

  his way without another word did she think she could

  have at least apologized again. She had not only soaked

  him with dirty wash water but intruded into his business

  as well.

  I've got to get out more, she decided as she went back into

  work. I'm wilting here in Texas, and it's only been a month. If Tommy ivouldjust send my...

  "Reagan, what are you doing just standing there?"

  Sally had not asked in outrage, but Reagan was not in a

  pleasant mood. She caught herself before she snapped at

  the woman.

  "Just emptying the bucket. And yes," Reagan added

  before Sally could ask her usual question, "everything is

  either baking or cooling."

  Sally smiled and teased her.

  "What put a burr under your saddle?"

  "I don't know," Reagan admitted as she put the bucket

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  down. "I don't like scrubbing pots--that much I know-- but other than that I'm not sure."

  "If you don't like scrubbing pots, why did you agree to

  doit?"

  "The money."

  "Well, is it worth it?"

  Reagan looked at her, thinking for the first time that she had been a fair employer, not overly harsh, but at times

  single-minded in purpose because she had a business to

  run and reliable people were not always available to help

  her. Reagan smiled for the first time all day.

  "Actually, it is, but I just needed to complain for a time."

  Sally shook her head in mock exasperation and went to

  peek into the ovens. Reagan got fresh water and went back

  to scrubbing pots.

  B" r

  Holly was hanging out the wash when Reagan arrived

  home. They hadn't seen too much of each other outside of

  Reagan's paying the rent and returning the borrowed

  things as she'd purchased blankets, sheets, and towels of

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  her own.

  "How are you, Reagan?" Holly asked. Reagan smiled at

  the sight of Alisa asleep in a basket at the end of the clothesline.

  "I'm doing fine. How are you?"

  "Very well, thank you. Jonah found a handkerchief in

  the bushes/' Holly said as she plucked a small white cloth

  from her pocket. "Is it yours?"

  "It is," Reagan said after she studied it "Thank you. It

  must have blown away when I pegged out my own wash."

  "Are you free to come to dinner tonight?" Holly offered

  on the spur of the moment. "I've got a chicken stewing, and

  you're welcome to join us."

  "Why, thank you, I am free tonight."

  Holly smiled at her.

  "Is there something I can bring?"

  'Just yourself."

  They didn't talk much longer, but after learning the time

  to arrive, Reagan went to her little house, her mood very

  light

  "Thaf s it," she concluded as she prepared to bathe. "I

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  don't have any friends here. Thaf s why I'm so down.

  Tommy hasn't sent my bicycle, and I have no friends. Who

  wouldn't be down?"

  Having concluded this, Reagan stopped worrying about

  her mood. She had a plan now, and that was all she ever

  needed,

  -Sr $

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  "I don't like school as much as Elly does," Jonah

  informed Reagan that evening. Holly would not accept her

  help with dinner, so she sat in the living room with Alisa in

  her lap and Jonah visiting at her side.

  "Why is that?" Reagan asked the seven-year-old boy.

  ''Elly can read lots better than me."

  "But you'll learn, won't you?"

  "That's what mama says."

  Reagan smiled down into his dejected little face and

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  thought she might be seeing herself. Most things came

  easily to her. When they did not, she wasn't very patient.

  "What do you like about school?"

  His face lit up in an instant

  "I like taking lunch in the tin with Elly, and I like to hear

  the teacher read, and I like it when Timmy Bolthouse plays

  with me."

  "Who is Timmy Bolthouse?"

  "He's my friend from school. He can spit water out his

  teeth!"

  "I can do that."

  Jonah's eyes and little open mouth spoke of his awe.

  "Can you teach me?"

  Reagan saw her mistake.

  "Well..." She tried to find words.

  "Can you teach me?" he asked again, thinking she might

  not have understood.

  "Jonah," Holly suddenly called from the kitchen,

  "please come help Elly with the table."

  The little boy was clearly in agony. Reagan barely kept

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  her mouth shut as she watched Jonah look between her

  and the door that would lead to the kitchen.

  "Go on now, son." Russell suddenly appeared to give

  his boy the urging he needed.

  "I'm sorry," Reagan began as soon as the child was gone.

  She had shifted Alisa in her lap, but that baby had yet to do

  anything but sit complacently and play with her toes.

  City Girl 65

  "For what?" Russell asked when he took a seat across

  from their guest

  Reagan gave him a quick rundown and watched him

  laugh in delight

  "I'm glad you're laughing," she said when her host quieted.

  "So what did you tell him?"

  "I didn't"

  "Well, I think you should," Russell surprised her by

  saying. He grinned boyishly. "Then he could teach me."

  Reagan laughed so suddenly that the baby jumped.

  "I'm sorry, Alisa," she said quietly, and for the first time

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  Alisa caught sight of the silver necklace that hung down

  the front of Reagan's dress. The baby's hand was reaching

  for it when her father called her name.

  "Alisa, don't touch that," he said, and she looked at him

  and looked back at the enticing locket

  "Alisa," he called her name again.

  She looked at him.

  "No," he said quite firmly when they had made eye contact

  For a moment she looked as though she would pout or

  cry, but another look from her father put an end to that

  Reagan didn't know if she was impressed or concerned

  at how stern he had been. She had to admit to herself, however,

  that it was nice not to have her necklace grabbed and

  possibly broken.

  A glance at the baby gave her further pause. She was

  smiling across at her father as though he'd hung the moon.

  In fact, just a moment later her pudgy arms went out to

  him. When he took her, Alisa giggled and snuggled up

  against his chest as though she'd been waiting to do so all

  day.

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  "I think we're ready in here," Holly called from the

  kitchen before Reagan could comment And just a few minutes

  later, Reagan found herself at the kitchen table set for

  five, with Alisa's high chair close by her mother's seat The

  66 lori wick

  rolls were directly in front of her, and she was about to take

  one so she could pass the basket when Russell's voice


  stopped her.

  "I think if s my turn to pray tonight," he said.

  Reagan was glad she'd not made a move. She bowed her

  head along with everyone else and waited for one of the

  memorized prayers she'd heard off and on over the years.

  "Father in heaven," Russell began, "thank You for this

  wonderful day and the way You blessed us each hour.

  Thank You for all Holly's hard work and this great food we

  can eat. Thank You that Reagan could join us. What a

  blessing to have her live in the little house and be such a

  good neighbor. Bless us as we eat and spend the evening

  together, and may we ever be mindful of Your presence

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  and blessing in our lives. In Christ's name I pray. Amen,"

  Reagan managed to raise her head, but the rolls and

  other food were forgotten. No one had ever prayed for her

  before. She hadn't even known that a person could talk to

  God like that. If she hadn't known better, she'd have wondered

  if Russell might not be a man of the cloth.

  "Would you like some potatoes, Miss Sullivan?" Elly

  was asking, and Reagan was jerked back to the present

  "Thank you," she said, her head bent low to cover her

  red face. What had she done in those seconds of distracted

  concentration, and had this family noticed?

  "I think I'll hold this chicken platter for you, Reagan,"

  Russell was saying. "It's rather hot"

  "Thank you," she said again, and for more than one

  reason: It seemed they hadn't noticed anything odd in her

  behavior.

  "How is work at the hotel, Reagan?" Holly asked when

  everyone had been served.

  "Most days, it's fine."

  "Is that what you did in New York?"

  118

  "No. I worked at a factory. It was monotonous, but at

  least we had one day off a week."

  City Girl 67

  "That must have been nice," Russell put in. "I'm not sure

  all factories do that."

  "No, they don't. Many of the girls in the boardinghouse

  worked seven days a week."

  "Where is your family?"

  "They're all gone. I've been on my own for some time."

  "What do you do at the hotel?" Elly asked, and Reagan

  began to fill her in.

  "And then today," she concluded, her eyes rolling at the

  memory, "I needed to change my wash water when I was

  scrubbing pots, and I'threw a bucket of water on a man in

  the alley."

  "Oh, no!" Elly gasped, her eyes large.

  Reagan shook her head in self-deprecation.

  "Was he angry?" This came from Jonah.

  "No," Russell answered, and all eyes turned to him.

  119

  "Did you see it happen?" Reagan asked.

  "No, but the man was a friend of mine, and he was on

  his way to see me."

  "Who was it, Russ?" Holly wished to know.

  The big man's eyes sparkled. "Cash."

  Holly and the children all laughed over this, and Russell

  turned to Reagan to explain.

  "Cash is a good friend. We've known each other for

  years."

  "And he wasn't angry?" Reagan asked with a small

  amount of anxiety.

  "Not at all. He was laughing by the time he got to me."

  Reagan sat back with a sigh. "I'm glad to hear it, but he

  would have been more than justified."

  "He doesn't anger easily."

  "I've never seen him angry," added Holly.

  These comments were of great interest to Reagan. She

  didn't have much of an impression of the man from the

  alley, having only seen him for a few moments, but these

  people she rented from were somehow different; she figured

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  their friends must be too. Reagan couldn't put her

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  finger on an exact incident, but something here was not

  what she was used to. For an instant she remembered the

  way Russell prayed.

  "We have cake for dessert," Holly announced. "Anyone

  interested?"

  Even Alisa seemed to light up over these words, and

  Holly gave out generous slices of cake just a few minutes

  later. As coffee cups were refilled, the conversation started

  up all over again.

  "I had a big one come in today," Russell began. "One of

  the biggest horses in town."

  "Was he nice or mean?" Jonah, who loved his father's

  work, wished to know.

  "What was his name?" Elly stuck in.

  "His name was Sam, and as for temperament, he was

  somewhere in the middle. I've had some big ones you

  could swing by the tail and they wouldn't blink, but this

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  one liked me in his sight and was happy as long as I kept

  talking."

  "Have you ever been seriously injured?" Reagan found

  herself asking/ fascinated.

  "Yes. I have a cavity on the outside of my leg from a

  severe kick more than ten years ago."

  "And you still wanted to be a blacksmith after that?"

  "Yes, ma'am," the big man replied contentedly. "I can

  count on one hand the number of days I've wanted to

  quit"

  There was something in the way he said this that made

  Reagan smile. She couldn't think of anything more wonderful

  than having a job she loved. The question was,

  would she ever feel that way? ;

  Hours later Reagan climbed into bed, tired but not

  exhausted, that question and the whole evening still on her

  mind. It had done her heart a world of good to have some

  fun. Typically her friends from New York were single men

  or women, but getting to know a family here was a wonderful

  new experience.

  122

  City Girl 69

  The thought of family suddenly made her lie very still.

  Maybe I haven't gotten too close to a family in the past because

  I didn't want to know what I've missed.

  Almost afraid to let her thoughts go on but not able to

  stop them, Reagan thought about how she'd grown up,

  and how cruel life could be. If she had learned anything, it

  was this: To love someone was to give them the power to

  hurt you. Not by plan or design did Reagan live this out,

  but by instinct

  Her thoughts unsettled, Reagan rolled into a ball to get

  comfortable, reminding herself that morning came

  whether she was ready or not, and she would be a bear if

  she didn't get her sleep.

  "3^ %r

  "What was that? " old Hank Demby exclaimed. He stood

  123

  at the checkout counter at the general store, his eyes on the

  large glass window that overlooked the street.

  "That was Reagan on her bicycle," Lavinia Unger, the

  proprietress said. "Have you not see her before?"

  The older gentleman didn't answer. He'd gone to the

  door to try to catch sight of it again. Lavinia joined him

  and, sure enough, they were swiftly rewarded with a view

  of Reagan as she left the bank, hopped on her bike in the

  most amazing way, and began to ride toward them.

  "Good afternoon, Mrs. Unger," she called when she was

  abreast of them.

  "Hello, Reagan."

 
Pedaling along as if she hadn't a care in the world,

  Reagan gave a wave and kept going.

  "How long has that been here?" Hank asked, his mouth

  still slightly agape.

  "I think only about a week. It came in on the train.

  Reagan had told the boys at the station to watch for it, and

  70 lori wick

  124

  when they sent word that it had arrived, she was down

  there in a flash--didn't even remove her apron."

  "Disgraceful!" a woman sniffed as she came up the

  boardwalk toward the door. "Completely improper! These

  easterners coming west with their strange and unprincipled

  ways."

  "Now, now," Lavinia tried to soothe her. "Reagan's a

  good girl. She works hard."

  "Where's she work?" Hank found himself curious about

  the rider as well.

  While this exchange took place, Reagan, who was

  uncaring of any attention she might draw, finished her

  errands. She was down to her last stop, and that was the

  livery. She found Russell shoeing a horse, lifting the

  animal's leg as though it weighed like a coin.

  "Hello," Reagan greeted him when he heard her and

  glanced up.

  "Well, now," he said as he finished with the last nail,

  dropped the hoof, and straightened to look at her. "Been

  riding that bike?"

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  Reagan smiled.

  "How can you tell?'f

  Russell didn't answer, but he always knew. Her eyes

  would be especially bright, and if the day was brisk, her

  cheeks would redden, but the real giveaway was what it

  did to her hair. Always a bit unruly, Reagan's coiffure had

  been blown around until black curls and wisps finally fell

  on her forehead and down her neck.

  "I've just come to tell you that Holly wasn't home when

  I got there, so I left the rent on the table."

  "She goes to Bible study on Wednesdays, and then

  sometimes the women visit," Russell said almost absently.

  "You did the right thing. She'll find it."

  "All right."

  It had been on Reagan's mind to ask why Holly was

  studying the Bible, but she decided against it.

  City Girl 71

  "So, are you out on business or just getting some exercise?"

  126

  Russell asked.

  "I'm doing errands until I meet the children at school."

  "Oh, thaf s right. Elly said you were coming to walk

  them home."

  "She's getting quite good on my bicycle."

  Russell grinned. "Only one scraped knee."

  "It helps that she's tall."

  "Has Jonah ridden yet?"

  "Not on hisxjwn. The pedals are too far away."

  "Well, be sure and tell me if they don't thank you for all