by Sharon Sala
Robert Lee looked at the baby. It was little and red and wrinkled. He wished he could say the same for Letty, and then maybe he wouldn’t be so damned tied to staring at her face, because she looked beautiful. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“He’s a fine baby. Eulis would have been real proud.”
Letty looked up.
“That’s part of why I asked you to come in. It’s because of Eulis and you that my child was born.”
Robert Lee looked startled.
“No, ma’am, I didn’t have—”
“Eulis gave me this child, but you kept us both alive.” Then she looked down at the sleeping baby and lightly ran her finger down the side of his cheek. “Eulis hated his name, but I got real fond of it and him.” Then she looked up at Robert Lee, watching the expression on his face as she announced. “I’m naming the baby Eulis Slade Potter after the two men who made this night possible.”
Robert Lee’s mouth went slack. His vision blurred.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, for starters, sit down in that chair and hold out your arms. Alice… if you don’t mind, would you hand Little Bit to Robert Lee? I think the two men on this place need to get acquainted.”
“Little Bit?” he asked.
“He’s going to have to do some growing to handle the name I just gave him. For now, Little Bit will do.”
Alice grinned.
Robert Lee paled as the baby was laid in his arms.
At first, he couldn’t feel anything but the thunder of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Then the baby squirmed, and he felt the warmth and the weight, and reality dawned. He blinked away tears only to find that the baby’s eyes were open, and that he seemed to be looking right at Robert Lee.
“See there,” Letty said. “He likes you.”
“What do I do?” Robert Lee asked.
Letty leaned back against the pillows, watching the changing expressions on Robert Lee’s face.
“Exactly what you’re doing right now,” she said softly, then closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was asleep.
“Let her be,” Alice said, when Delilah would have scooted her back down in the bed.
Together, the women began gathering up the basins and bedclothes and carrying them out the door.
Delilah followed with an oil lamp to light the way.
Mildred glanced back at the sleeping woman, and the man sitting beside her bed.
“Wait!” Robert Lee said. “What am I supposed to do?”
“We’ll be back soon enough,” Alice said. “For now, you’re doing just fine.”
Robert Lee started to shake. What if he did something wrong? What if he dropped the baby? What if—
The baby squeaked.
Robert Lee held his breath.
Letty hadn’t moved.
The baby settled.
He exhaled slowly, then leaned back in the chair, shifted his hold, then looked up, and for the first time since he’d walked onto Potter land, gazed his fill of the woman who held his heart.
A ROOSTER IN THE HEN HOUSE
It was mid-morning of the next day when Alice drove Mildred Warren back home. Soon after that, the news began to spread.
Letty Potter had given birth to her dead husband’s child. That it was a boy baby was viewed by most as good fortune. At least Potter would have someone to carry on his name.
It was Milton Feasley who first coined the phrase, a little rooster in the hen house, but it soon took hold.
Letty basked in her new role as mother. Her manner was softer, her voice less strident. Everything in the Potter household was moving at a slower pace. But it wasn’t slowing down winter. It came blasting through the Rockies within two weeks of Little Bit’s birth, dumping six inches of snow and a drop in temperature that chilled a man all the way to the back of his teeth.
Robert Lee took on the role of tending to the animals and the wood cutting, as well as going into town for supplies. Letty had ordered new coats for everyone some time back, adding a good, long heavy coat made for riding for Robert Lee. She’d also ordered some knitting yarn, some school books for Katie, and a large assortment of embroidery cotton. With a houseful of females likely to be snowed in until spring, they needed to be doing something through the long, cold days besides getting on each other’s nerves.
She didn’t know how Robert Lee felt about a houseful of women, but so far he wasn’t complaining, and there was the draw of Little Bit to keep him satisfied. Every evening when he came in from doing chores, he made it his business to rock the baby while supper was being cooked.
Letty often watched the interplay of emotions between the only two males in the house—now and then feeling a tiny bit jealous. There had been a couple of times when Robert Lee had been the only one to calm the baby’s fuss. At those times, a part of her resented the fact that Eulis hadn’t lived to see this. But then Robert Lee would look up at her with a laugh in his eyes, forcing her to remember that it was Eulis who had died and not her.
Christmas neared. Down in the city, Letty Potter’s son had taken on a persona not unlike that of a young prince. Women who’d shunned her for her wild ways now hinted at an invitation to visit.
Finally, it was Alice who came up with the idea to have an open house, similar to the ones her family had held during the holidays back in Boston. Letty was hesitant to expose Little Bit to so many people, but Mary suggested that they hold the party, and at some time during the fete Letty could introduce the child to everyone, then he’d be whisked away. Curiosity would be satisfied, and maybe life would settle down for all of them.
And so the planning began.
Invitations were sent out, and Alice began baking. With Robert Lee’s help, Delilah and Mary were responsible for decorating the house with fresh pine and cedar boughs. Katie got the job of polishing the silver and spent hours working on everything from flatware to teapots.
Robert Lee secretly bought a new suit and boots for himself and had his hair trimmed to shoulder length. No one knew that he’d grown up in a whirl of grand parties and soirees’ his parents had often held, and he wasn’t about to admit it at this late date. Growing up, he’d taken wealth for granted, then learned the hard way how to live without it. The irony of how his life had come full circle was not lost upon him.
And then there was Letty. If she was going to host this grand party, then she needed a grand dress to mark the occasion. She had one that she’d ordered right after they’d struck gold, but the occasion had never presented itself to be worn. Now she wasn’t sure if she could still fit in to it. Yet when she tried it on, she was surprised to see that it fit—even better than before. Where it had once been a little loose in the bosom, she filled it out nicely. The neckline dipped in all the right places and the skirt billowed out behind her as she walked. It would do.
The week passed in a flurry of excitement to which was added the arrival of Letty’s order from back East. She was excited when Robert Lee came back from town with the crate.
***
The back door opened with a thump against the wall, letting in a cold blast of air, upon which Alice promptly complained.
“Mercy sakes, Robert Lee! Close the door! It’s freezing outside.”
“Yes, ma’am, that it is,” he said, as he staggered toward the kitchen table with his load. “Milton Feasley sent this box along with the list he filled for you. He said to tell you it was Letty’s order.”
Letty came into the kitchen with her skirt flying out behind her and her hair coming down around her ears.
“Don’t open it! It has surprises for Christmas!” she said.
Robert Lee eyed the box and sighed.
“I don’t suppose you’re gonna let me leave it on the table?”
“Well, of course not, Robert Lee. Would you please carry it up to the sewing room?”
“I’d be delighted,” he muttered, and hefted it up again, before settling it on his shoulder.
Letty led the way
out of the kitchen.
On a normal day, Robert Lee would have enjoyed the view and the sway of her hips beneath her dress, but the damned box was too heavy to linger on lust.
“In here!” she said, and stepped aside as he moved past her and set it down with a thump.
“You cut your hair,” Letty said, eyeing the new length. “It looks nice.”
Robert Lee looked up. Breath caught in the back of his throat. He wasn’t comfortable being under her scrutiny—ever. He’d made it plain how he felt about her, although he’d never stepped over the line. But being alone with her—in any situation—made him ache to touch her—hold her—to taste those lips that had a constant penchant for spouting sarcasm and wisdom within the same breath.
Letty caught the glitter in his eye and knew what he was feeling. The troubling part about it all was that she wasn’t sure what she was feeling back. Before, it had come as a shock to even think about caring for another man. But she’d learned the hard way how short life could be. She wasn’t the kind of woman to waste a moment of her own and now, the notion of testing the waters with Robert Lee often crept into her dreams. She had apologized daily to Eulis for the betrayal, but Eulis hadn’t bothered to voice any kind of disapproval, so she was stuck to deal with her own sense of what was right and what was not.
The fact that Eulis hadn’t answered her was nothing new. He did a lot of that these days, and it was beginning to aggravate her to no end.
“I said… your hair looks nice.”
She saw his chest expand as he drew a deep breath. Expecting him to turn away as he always did, she was shocked when he reached toward her instead, brushing the loose tendrils of her hair away from her face with both hands.
“Yours looks like Little Bit has been swinging in it.”
Her eyes widened as she considered the familiarity of his touch.
Robert Lee meant to draw back, but he got caught in her gaze. He saw her nostrils flare. When she lifted her chin, he shuddered. Her mouth was too damn handy for his peace of mind.
“I suppose he has,” she said, and then reached up, pulled out what pins were still left.
Her hair fell down around her shoulders.
Robert Lee froze.
Letty’s lips parted, as if she was about to speak. Nothing came out but a sigh.
“Letty…”
There was a warning in the way he said her name. She hesitated. Once this step was taken, there would be no going back.
And then the baby cried.
Robert Lee’s eyes narrowed sharply as he took a step back.
“Don’t tease, woman. I’m not a man to mess with.”
“I didn’t mean to—”
“Yes, you did,” he said. “Don’t do it again unless you mean it.”
He left abruptly.
Letty’s heart was pounding as she listened to the sound of his receding footsteps, then she went to her child. Later, as she was letting Little Bit nurse, she couldn’t help but wonder if the pain in her chest was from the abundance of milk she had for the baby, or from what was lacking in her life.
Was she ready to take another man? She knew if she offered, he would take her in a heartbeat. But would it last? Even more important, was she ready to take a chance on love one more time? Losing it hurt so damned bad, she wasn’t sure she had the guts to try it again.
***
The day of the party finally arrived. The cooking was done. The house was decorated to the hilt with garlands of red ribbon and fragrant pine boughs. Katie and Alice had decorated a small cedar tree with bits of colored paper and ribbon. The sideboard was awash in dainty edibles, and Letty’s silver was as bright as a new moon.
Alice’s excitement was palpable as she flitted from room to room, making sure all was ready for the arrival of their guests. The final stitches on her plum-colored dress had gone in after midnight last night, as had the ones on the smock that Katie was wearing. Technically, she was a widow like Mary, but mourning a man like George seemed ridiculous considering what he’d done to all their lives. It was nothing less than a miracle that Letty Potter could forgive the misery her presence had caused, and she thanked God every night for delivering her unto this house.
Mary’s choice of black taffeta was befitting the widow she was, although she had yet to admit how pissed off she was at her Robert for the cowardly act of suicide. He’d thought nothing of what would befall her by leaving her alone, and she wondered if she was being a hypocrite to present herself to the public in this light. Still, she wouldn’t let it bother her. Not today.
Delilah had chosen a cream-colored taffeta to make her gown, and the demureness of the color was almost lost in the low neckline and tight fit. Tonight, she was going to be an elegant woman, and to hell with those who judged her past.
Letty had left the color of her dress a secret. All she’d admitted to was that it was Eulis’ favorite color on her. She’d fussed with her hair between tending to the baby, and finally chosen to pin it all up on top of her head and let the curls cascade down the back of her neck. She was leaving her throat and chest bare, except for a narrow, black velvet ribbon tied around her neck. Dangling from the ribbon was a single gold nugget, held within a cameo-like setting; a reminder of what had changed her life.
Downstairs, Robert Lee was carrying in extra wood for the fires, and making sure that the front porch had been swept free of snow and pine needles so that the guests wouldn’t be tracking up Letty’s floors.
Katie’s yellow smock, with the matching ribbons in her hair, made her look like the angel atop the Christmas tree. Alice had set her on a little chair near the parlor fireplace with orders not to mess herself up. It was an unnecessary warning. Katie didn’t want to miss a minute of the upcoming event.
When it was almost time for the guests to arrive, Robert Lee disappeared. It didn’t occur to Letty until she saw the first buggy pulling up to the house that he was missing, but by then it was too late to figure out why. After that, the arrival of guest became steady. While new arrivals were still stomping snow from their shoes, others were being shown into the parlor to join the festivities.
Letty stood at the door, calmly welcoming Denver City’s finest into her home—well aware that as they talked and smiled, they were mentally taking her apart. The funny thing was that she no longer cared what they thought.
Milton Feasley and his wife arrived in a flurry of awkward excitement, followed by Dr. Warren and his wife, Mildred. Amos Trueblood, her banker, preened as if he was responsible for all of this himself, and barbers, lawyers and a couple of dentists who’d set up shop down in town followed in on his heels. There were three new preachers who’d set up business down in town, as well as a few bachelors who didn’t miss the opportunity to check out the women who’d taken shelter in this place. Anyone who had a business, or had ever done business with them was here under her roof.
Letty couldn’t help but note that, while she had been busy burying a husband and birthing his child, Denver City had been undergoing a change, too. She didn’t know half of these people, but they all sure knew her.
“Please, you must try some of Alice’s fruitcake,” she said, as she waved toward a table laden with food displayed on crystal and silver.
Within the hour, the whole downstairs of the Potter mansion was full of people talking and eating and making merry. It was at this point that Letty disappeared upstairs. She reappeared twenty minutes later with her baby in her arms.
She was halfway down the stairs when her guests realized an introduction was imminent. The oohs and aahs were followed by someone tapping their cane upon the floor to signal the coming speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen… my friends and I are honored to have you in our house tonight. Some of you I’ve known since the early days… some of you I’m meeting for the first time tonight. But I’m inviting all of you to meet my son, Eulis Slade Potter. We call him Little Bit… a name he will probably grow to hate.”
There was a round of easy laugh
ter as she unfolded the blanket from around him and then lifted the crook of her arm so that they might easier see his face.
At nearly three months and twenty-plus pounds, he was a sight to behold. A little round face, a turned up nose, and a thatch of dark, mahogany colored hair, not unlike his mother’s.
He stared at the crowd with as much curiosity as they all stared at him, then delighted the gathering with a sudden flailing of his arms and a loud, piercing squeal.
Letty laughed.
“That means he likes you, and while he’s still making a good impression, he’s also going to make his exit before he shames himself, and me, by revealing how much I’ve already spoiled him.”
“A toast… to the little rooster in the hen house!” someone called.
“Here, here,” they all shouted, and raised a glass to the baby in her arms.
“Give him to me,” Alice said, and waved Katie up with her. “Katie here is almost asleep on her feet, too. I’ll put them both to bed, and then come down later. You stay with your guests.”
“He’s already nursed,” Letty whispered.
Alice nodded, took the baby from her arms, and herded Katie along with her.
The blacksmith had brought his fiddle, and was seated in a corner near the parlor fireplace, tuning up his bow.
The sounds of chairs being scooted back against the wall signaled the start of a dance.
Letty had moved to a spot near the punch table, and was holding a cookie in one hand and a napkin in the other, listening to two women who’d once shunned her, now gushing about her son, when she heard a low, familiar voice at her ear.
“Letty.”
Robert Lee!
She turned and then forgot what she’d been going to say. She’d never seen him like this—handsome beyond words, and so at ease in his elegance. His frock coat was black, as were the matching pants of his suit. The shirt under his silver gray vest was white, with a black string tie at the neck.
His hair was as black as his eyes, and when he held out his hand, she took it without thought. He was as far removed from the half-starved gunfighter she’d first met, as she was from the fifty-cent whore she’d been.
