by Reece Butler
“A second set of ears can’t hurt,” suggested John Tanner. “Doc Henley’s known for keeping his mouth shut.”
“Doc?” Frank looked at the middle-aged man in the rumpled suit. “Would this take too much of your time?”
“Not too many babies, due and there’s no summer fever, so I’ve got time. Fact is, it’d be pleasant to see people when they don’t need me.”
“Then head back to work. Doc and I will stop by and talk to every one of you. Since I haven’t had breakfast, I’ll start with Mrs. McLeod. That all right with you, Doc?”
“When’s Mary back, Sheriff?” asked Doc as they walked into the hotel entry room.
“Not soon enough,” replied Frank.
* * * *
Doc and Frank, finished questioning those in town, rested over a cup of coffee in a corner of the hotel dining room. Frank counted off points on his fingers.
“Mrs. Dawes saw someone coming from the east end of town after Charlie rode past. No one saw Ross leave Rosa’s kitchen though the light was left on far into the night. Rosa and Ross heard gunshots but figured they were part of the fuss.”
“I saw you talking to Professor Thaddeus,” said Doc. “He see what happened?”
Frank nodded. “Annie and Mollie May started a cat fight at Baldy’s. They both wanted a kid with a poke of gold dust to spend on their favors. A couple of miners wanted to share Molly and hauled the women apart. They knocked over the faro table, and all hell broke loose. Baldy threw everyone outside. They pulled lead and woke up the town.”
“Can the professor identify the miners? They might have been paid to cause the ruckus.”
“I expect so. Thaddeus said they took off when Charlie waded in with his fists.”
They finished their coffee. Doc placed a nickel by his mug and stood up.
“Mind if I head out to the MD? If she’s up to it, I’ll bring Mrs. MacDougal back in the buggy. She must want to be near her husband. We can talk with her at the hotel. Nevin and Gillis are there already.”
Frank looked up at Doc. “Got something on your brain? You look a mite antsy.”
“You’ll know soon enough, Frank.”
He watched out the window as Doc Henley walked over to Miss Lily’s. The man went to the kitchen door, adjusted his hat, brushed the dust off his rumpled pants, and knocked. Frank added another nickel, pushed back his chair, and stood. “Go get her, Doc,” he said quietly to himself. “It’s about damn well time.”
* * * *
Knowing it was a ridiculous gesture, Doc brushed off his wrinkled pants. He’d been alone since his wife died twenty years earlier, giving birth to their dying son. He’d sold the farm, gone to medical school, and headed West. That was where people needed him. He hadn’t lost a mother or baby in all the years since. He hadn’t found a woman he wanted to marry, either. Until now.
When he knocked on the door, he felt as if he was eighteen again, asking to take Martha for a walk.
“Nobody’s sick here, Doc.”
Rosa’s dark eyes looked into his. He suddenly remembered and pulled off his hat.
“May I come in, Miss Rosa?”
She frowned at him. “Where’d that ‘Miss’ come from, Doc?”
He looked at her expectantly. Still frowning, she backed away and let him enter her kitchen. As always, it smelled heavenly. Cinnamon buns, stew, and excellent coffee. His stomach rumbled.
“You here to question me about last night?” She crossed her thick arms across her ample chest. “I told the sheriff that Ross was here the whole time. We heard gunshots while we were—” She looked down and dusted off her apron. Flour motes drifted in the sunshine beaming through the open curtains. “We were talking.”
“No, I’m not here about last night, though I do have a question.”
His stomach rumbled again, louder. He pressed his hand on his belly sheepishly. She rolled her eyes.
“Have a seat, and I’ll dish something up for you,” she said. “What’s your question?” She turned her back to him and walked to the stove.
“Are you free for a few hours?”
She stopped. The muscles in her back, neck, and arms tensed.
“Free?”
He cursed his choice of words. After all, this was a house of prostitution. Nothing was free.
“Do you have time to accompany me to the MD ranch? I need to examine Amelia MacDougal. If she’s up to it, I’ll bring her to the hotel so she can visit Ross.”
Rosa filled a tin plate with stew. She added a handful of biscuits and a spoon before turning around. Her color was high, and she didn’t meet his eyes when she placed it on the far end of her work table.
“You need a chaperone, Doc?”
Though it was not mannerly, he sat down, feeling as nervous as she looked. The more he could make her relax, the easier this would be.
He couldn’t help moaning at the first spoonful of stew. “I could marry you just for your cooking, Rosa.”
“Don’t talk foolishness,” she snapped. “Nobody wants to marry me.”
She bustled around the room slamming lids onto pots, rattling wooden spoons, and generally acting flustered. He smiled as he watched her. She kept her back to him, but he saw the pink tinge on her neck. Since she rarely went outside, her light brown skin still showed a flush. Was it embarrassment or something more?
He waited until she didn’t have anything sharp, heavy, or breakable in her hand. “I don’t want a chaperone. I want a lady to accompany me on a buggy ride.” She whipped around.
“I don’t know where you think you are, but there ain’t no ladies in this here establishment. You want to hire a whore, talk to Miss Lily. Now, get out of my kitchen!”
He broke a biscuit in half and wiped up some of the gravy on his plate. He spoke into the plate, for both of their sakes. He couldn’t watch if she showed disgust at him.
“I want to invite a certain Miss Rosa, who I consider a lady, to accompany me on a buggy ride. If she chooses to go, it will be her choice. All I offer is a few hours riding on a sunny summer day and my company. If you don’t want my company, I will leave.”
He put the biscuit on his plate, unable to choke it down through his suddenly dry throat. The minutes of silence scared him almost as much as when Marsha died.
“You don’t know me. I ain’t never been a lady. I’ve worked for Miss Lily since I was eighteen. In a whorehouse. I don’t know what game you’re playing—”
“Rosa, please look at me.”
It took a while, but she managed to meet his eyes. She looked like a frightened faun facing a mountain lion. He spoke soothingly, as he would to a terrified child with a broken arm or a woman delirious with fever.
“Remember when you had that fever the other winter? You were right out of your head.”
“Lily said you stayed with me until the fever broke.” She bit her lip and looked down. “I guess I never thanked you.”
“I don’t want your thanks. I want your company.”
“I’m no good, Doc. You don’t know—”
“Yes, I do. You had nightmares. Terrible ones. You said things.”
Her face paled. She slammed a hand on the table to stay upright.
“What did I say?” She croaked the words out. “Did anyone else hear?”
“I didn’t let anyone else except Lily near you. Only when I told her what you said did she explain. I know she bought you from those men when you were eighteen.”
Rosa stared at him with wide eyes and open mouth, her skin a dusty tan. She covered her face with both hands and sank to the bench, choking and gasping.
“I know you were with them for six years. Not by choice.”
She shot to her feet. She glared at him with her jaw clenched. Head high, she ignored the tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked magnificent.
“I don’t need your pity!”
“Good, because you won’t get it from me. I want something else.”
“What?”
“I want
to take you on a buggy ride with me.” He forced the last biscuit down.
She shook her head quickly side to side in disbelief. “I can’t give you want you want.”
“Rosa, you don’t know what I want.”
“What they did—I can’t be a wife.”
He picked up the plate and licked it clean. Not a good habit, but he didn’t want to miss a drop, and all his biscuits were gone.
“When you had those nightmares, you know how I calmed you?”
She frowned down at him as if looking for a trap.
“You cried out and then screamed without making a sound. I sang a lullaby and held you in my arms for a long, long time until you settled. Finally, you curled up and went to sleep like a child. I held you in my arms until you woke.”
“No,” she whispered. “I can’t abide the touch of a man.”
“Could you share a breakfast table with me? Sit by the fire on a cold night?”
“Perhaps. But,” she gulped, “not a bed.”
“I’m lonely, Rosa. I’m forty-five years old. If I can have your company everywhere but the bedroom, then I’ll be a happy man. It’s far more than I have now. Given time, you might become more comfortable with me. But I will never, ever even think of hurting you.”
She lifted her apron and wiped off her wet face. It left streaks of flour. She was so damn beautiful, and nobody else could see it but him. But that was a good thing because if others saw the light that lit her face now and then, they would want her, too. She would be his woman, as much as she would allow it. He heard approaching footsteps, the light tapping suggesting Lily.
He stood up and held out the plate. “Do you have a couple of hours to have a buggy ride with an old man?” He said it loudly so Lily would hear.
The door to the hall opened. As expected, Lily emerged. She looked immaculate as ever. Her petite perfection contrasted with Rosa’s large-boned strength. Each was lovely in her own way.
“Of course Rosa has time, Doctor Henley. The question is, does she wish to spend it with you?”
“I have to change my dress.”
“You do that while I get a buggy. Don’t forget a bonnet. The sun is bright.”
Doc let himself out the kitchen door. He felt like a rooster, ready to crow that he had a lady friend. It took seeing how much Frank Chambers missed his wife to force him to act.
He’d never told anyone, even Lily, that he cared for Rosa. He’d hoped she’d notice when he stopped by the kitchen every week when he checked Lily’s girls. Rosa had gotten more comfortable with him over time though she hid it in argumentative banter.
He damn near strutted all the way to Stumpy’s livery stable.
* * * *
“Will you look at that!”
A blond boy Rosa didn’t recognize raced toward the buggy, two dogs yipping at his heels. His clothes were clean but too large for his small frame. He waited until the buggy stopped before he exploded with words.
“Doc! Did ya come to see Mrs. MacDougal? She’s gonna be fine, ain’t she?”
“Daniel, I’d like you to meet my lady friend, Miss Rosa. In his previous life, Daniel was known as Ernie Thompson.”
Rosa looked at the smiling child. Little trace remained of the gaping hole in his mouth or his usual frightened expression. Could she blossom as this child had, given affection and caring? She laughed at herself. She was thirty-two, not ten. Too late, by far, even for dreams.
“Good morning, Daniel.”
She let George help her down. She was getting used to calling him that, though it felt strange. He stood near her as a tall, well-built man strode toward them. He had the bearing of a military man, though he smiled kindly.
“Delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Rosa.” His bow, along with his accent, suggested who he was.
“You must be Mr. Langford of the Double Diamond.”
“Guilty as charged, but please call me Ace. May I escort you inside? Mrs. MacDougal is resting in the parlor. She would appreciate some feminine company.”
The gals at Lily’s would swoon to have such a handsome young man visit them. She mentally took notes, knowing they would want all the details she could provide. They were not wanted on the streets of the town.
“Daniel, I heard a buggy, so I know someone’s there. If you don’t bring them in here, I’m coming out!”
“Ah, that would be Mrs. MacDougal,” said Ace. “She’s become a mite petulant. Daniel, would you please escort Miss Rosa inside? You can put on a pot of tea for the ladies. I don’t think there’s any pie or cake left, however.” He rubbed his belly. “We bachelors devoured all the baking during the first day.”
Rosa, for the first time in her life, let herself be escorted as if she was, indeed, a lady. It felt strange to wait to have a door opened. She walked into the MacDougal kitchen and looked around. It was neat and clean, dishes put away and floor swept. Surely the men hadn’t been doing the cooking and cleaning?
She followed Daniel into an open hall. He dashed across and into the front room. She didn’t follow, not being sure she would be welcomed, no matter what the men said. She looked around, eyes wide. When was the last time she was in someone’s home?
“Mrs. MacDougal, Doc brought Miss Rosa to visit,” said Daniel. “Do you want me to make tea?”
“Oh, my goodness, someone other than a big, loud man. Yes, Daniel, tea would be lovely, but don’t leave our guest standing in the hall.”
Daniel peeked his head around the corner and gestured at her. She walked over, her boots heavy on the polished wood floor. Sometimes she let herself dream of having a home, though never children. This was too grand a place for her, but a small log home would be lovely. Maybe even a garden and flowers by the door. Just for today, she’d let herself pretend it was possible.
Amelia lay on the sofa with her foot raised on pillows. She smiled and waved Rosa to sit. Pink burn marks from her escape still dotted her face. “Thank you so much for visiting!”
Amelia didn’t ask what Rosa was doing there. She seemed delighted to have company no matter who it was, or why. Not knowing what else to say, Rosa asked Amelia to tell her about her excitement. They had just finished their tea when Doc came in.
“Good to see you’ve got that foot up. How are the blisters on your hands?”
Amelia lifted her hands up as if someone had pulled a gun on her. Doc looked at each palm and nodded. With one finger he tilted her chin to and fro, grunting with satisfaction. He seemed so in charge compared to when he arrived in her kitchen earlier. Was the man really nervous to be with her? Could she believe he cared about her?
“If you’re up to it, I want to bring you to town. Sheriff Chambers needs to talk with you about what happened. I expect you also want to speak with your husband.”
“I have absolutely nothing to say to that man! He made it clear he does not wish to be married to me. You can hang him for all I care!”
She suddenly burst into tears. Doc knelt beside her and held out his arms. She wrapped them around his neck and sobbed.
Rosa watched him gently rub her back in circles, murmuring quietly. Is that what he did with her when she was sick? Was this part of being a doctor, to care for the upset as well as the sick? Amelia was in her early twenties, she was thirty-two, and George was forty-five. He likely thought of Amelia as a daughter.
Daughter or not, she realized she wanted his arms around her, instead. She sat back in the chair, her face heating. She actually wanted a man to touch her? Perhaps it was because he had cared for her when she was so sick. She didn’t remember it, but some part of her must think he was safe enough to trust.
Amelia sniffed and pulled back. George handed her his handkerchief. She shook her head and pulled her own out of her sleeve. She wiped her eyes with it, still sniffling.
“I do beg your pardon. I don’t know where that came from. I am so angry at the man, and I can’t even tell him myself.”
“Women in a certain condition often have such outbreaks. B
eing captured and escaping, then abandoned by your family, didn’t help.” He stood up. “We’re going to solve that problem. You’re coming back to town with us, as is young Daniel.”
“But his father might see him and—”
“Sheriff Chambers has a plan for that. He can stay with Mrs. Dawes. If he has any problems, he can go next door to Rosa or run across the street to the jail. The boy knows all the hiding spots in town.” He smiled kindly at her. “I doubt his father would recognize him now. You’ve done a marvelous job with him.”
“He’s a very good boy. I don’t know that I would be alive now if it wasn’t for Daniel.”
“I expect you want to pack a few things. Shall I carry you up those stairs to your room? That is, if my lady friend doesn’t object.”
Rosa realized he meant her. She flushed, not knowing what to say. Amelia solved the problem by pushing herself to stand.
“Thank you, Doctor Henley, but I prefer to do it myself. Perhaps Rosa will assist me upstairs?”
Doc fussed but allowed the two women to go up by themselves. Rosa held out her arm for Amelia to lean on. The young woman was not as strong as she’d let on. She helped her up the stairs to the largest bed Rosa had ever seen.
“I didn’t want Doc to come up here,” said Amelia, her face red. “I know he knows I share the bed, but it’s another thing for him to actually see it.”
“Because of where I work, you think I won’t be upset?” Rosa couldn’t stop the comment from erupting.
Amelia shook her head. “You’re a level-headed woman. You work for a woman I admire. From what I’ve seen since arriving here, women have to be too strong to fuss over such things. I have to ask you to pack my unmentionables since I can’t walk around that much, so I’m already embarrassed.”
“I apologize.” Rosa clenched her hands, huge compared to delicate Amelia. “I haven’t been in someone’s home for so long.”
“And I apologize for weeping in the arms of your man. He held me like I wish my father would have.”
“He’s not my man!”
