Mollie and Violet had breakfast ready, and Thomas, Saul and Old Jess joined the women as usual. Charlotte had joined their gathering today. Somber faces lined the kitchen table until Lily threw a biscuit at Celeste and the girl’s eyes widened in surprise. Lily laughed, and Celeste threw the biscuit back but missed and hit Helena in the chest.
In her dramatic accent, the Polish woman said, “I will have crumbs in my cleavage all day,” and fished for the remainder with a frown.
They all laughed.
“This fire is just one of those things we move past,” Lily said. “I’m not discouraged and I don’t want any of you to be. Whatever it takes to repair and replace, I plan to do it. Charlotte, you’re still going to have a job come fall. I already had a mirror and glassware and whiskey to order today. Now I’ll be adding lumber to the list.”
“No one was hurt,” Rosemary said.
“And there were no animals inside yet,” Mollie added.
“You see, it’s not as bad as it could have been.” Lily smiled. “And we have something to look forward to. We’re going to start practicing our base ball. George is going to explain the game and the rules, and I want to practice every morning. We’re going to have a winning team.”
Mollie got up and moved around the table to give Lily a hug. “We should be the ones cheering you up, but you’re always the one to do it for us.”
Big Saul got up to hug Lily then, and by the time they finished cheering each other up and hugging and eating, the morning was burning bright.
“Work clothes today,” Lily suggested. “I’m going to find a pair of trousers, ’cause we’ll be shoveling and hauling ashes.”
They kept a stack of cast-off clothing in the storeroom at the saloon and gave it to anyone who needed it. Today she had need of something practical.
THE SMELL OF SMOKE and ashes hung over the town that morning. It wasn’t a hurdy-gurdy dress that had neighbors looking twice at Lily Divine, it was the pair of men’s trousers she wore with a faded shirtwaist tucked into the waistband. She’d tied a bandanna around her hair and wore a felt hat with a string that tied under her chin. A sturdy pair of boots completed the ensemble.
Nate grinned at her long-legged approach and the reactions of the bystanders.
“What are you looking at?” Lily asked. “Never seen anybody dressed for work?”
“Not anybody who looked like that in a pair of pants,” he replied. “You just love to cause a stir, don’t you?”
“It’d be foolish to wear a skirt to wade through ankle-deep ashes and mud, now wouldn’t it?”
“That it would.”
“Well, stop yappin’ and let’s get to work.”
Most of the business owners left their wives and children running the stores and came to offer a hand. George closed the barbershop and said he and Joel would reopen late in the afternoon to serve up baths before suppertime.
Several of the miners returned, and Spooner sent Mitch to pitch in. With so many hands, most of the work was accomplished by the end of the morning. Catherine Douglas showed up with her son, John, and they spread out a feast on the tailgate of a wagon.
“This lunch is a kind thing to do for us,” Lily told her.
“It was the least I could do,” the woman replied.
They shared a secret look. “You don’t owe me a thing,” Lily said.
Celeste and Mitch prepared plates and carried them to a shaded boardwalk a few doors down, where they sat and shared their meal in private.
Lily ate a piece of chicken and went back for a sandwich.
A few of the men were gathered at the tailgate. “So what does the mayor’s daughter serve up for lunch?” Wade was asking.
“How in tarnation would I know?” Harvey Munger replied.
“I wasn’t askin’ you, I was askin’ the sheriff.”
The men all turned toward Nate.
He looked at Wade with a warning message in his eyes.
“You had lunch with Evangeline?” Harvey asked.
“A Sunday picnic,” Clive clarified.
Lily placed the sandwich on her plate and walked on past, to the boardwalk in front of the saloon, and sat. A dirty yellow cat padded close and sat observing her with its tail flicking.
A Sunday picnic. He’d come by Lily’s house after church to tell her about the meeting and he’d said he had something to do. He’d been on his way to meet Evangeline Gibbs. On his way to a picnic.
And Wade and Clive knew about it, so it was public knowledge. The sheriff was seeing Evangeline.
Lily took a bite of the sandwich, and it tasted like the ashes she’d scooped all morning.
Evangeline. Sweet looking. No, damned pretty, actually. Blond hair in smooth curls, blue eyes, fair skin. Delicate manners and sensibilities. A lady. A young lady. An innocent young lady. The kind men married. And respected. And protected.
A pain so deep and so severe she couldn’t bear it pressed in on Lily’s chest and crushed her breath and stifled her heartbeat.
The mayor’s daughter had been to school in the East, had been tutored in manners and etiquette and all sorts of charming parlor skills. She’d been groomed to make some man a fine wife. Lily glanced at Catherine, standing near the wagon and making sure people had enough to eat and pouring them glasses of buttermilk and cold water.
Catherine had been a woman like that, but she’d been unfortunate enough to be wed to an abusive and degrading man.
Sheriff Harding would be a good husband. Dutiful, respectful, loving. A good lover.
Evangeline wouldn’t have to worry about surly moods or flying fists.
The cat meowed and studied Lily with narrow slits of green eyes.
Why had Nate come to Lily last night, sought her out, made love to her, when his intentions were plainly focused on another woman?
He thought she was a whore. He’d never believed her denials.
The realization brought burning tears to her eyes.
Perhaps he’d become overtaxed in his efforts to restrain himself from his innocent and nubile young woman and had sought relief from those frustrations elsewhere.
He’d been attracted to Lily, and she was, after all, the kind of woman a man didn’t have to play games with. She’d been a physical outlet. A means to ease his needs.
It hurt like no physical beating she’d ever received to know she wasn’t his choice. His type. Her heart was a throbbing bruise, and she hadn’t even known how involved her heart had been until this moment.
She’d even pictured his Sarah looking like Evangeline. He’d told her when they’d first met that he was starting over. He’d come to Thunder Canyon for a second chance. A new young wife. A bright new future. He was leaving his ugly past behind.
Lily didn’t begrudge Evangeline. The young woman didn’t know about Lily. And for the first time since she’d known Nate, shame swept over Lily in a hot flush. If Evangeline knew, she’d be crushed. Heartbroken.
She must never know. No one must ever know. And it could never happen again. Lily wouldn’t do that to another woman.
She tossed her sandwich to the cat and stood.
Catherine took her plate. “Did you have enough to eat, Lily?”
“The lunch was so thoughtful,” Lily told her.
“I didn’t know what else to do, but I wanted to help.”
Lily got tears in her eyes.
“It’s going to be all right,” Catherine said, and Lily could tell she wanted to move forward and comfort her, but they were in the public street, so she remained where she was.
Wouldn’t do to be seen hugging the town whore.
Lily immediately regretted the unkind thought. Catherine would befriend her openly in the blink of an eye if she didn’t fear her husband’s retribution.
“I’m just tired.” Lily wiped her sleeve across her face. A lady would have had a hankie. A lady wouldn’t have had dirt and soot on her face in the first place. A lady wouldn’t have been the target of an arsonist. A lady wouldn�
�t have enemies or build a livery or run a saloon or be called a whore or sleep with another woman’s intended husband.
Lily hadn’t thrown up since she was ten years old, but her lunch was threatening to come back up.
The possibility jerked her thoughts in another direction and a moment of panic seized her. What if she’d gotten herself in a family way?
Lily stared at Catherine.
The woman placed her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “You’re white as a sheet. Are you ill?”
Lily nodded, then shook her head. “Yes. No. I’m fine. Really. Just tired.”
“You’d better go home and lie down then before you faint. I’ll walk you.”
“No, you stay here.” She moved away from her. She unerringly zeroed her attention in on the sheriff.
The sheriff. She’d only just started to think of him as Nate.
He’d finished eating and was talking to George over a cup of coffee. Nate looked up and met her eyes. He must have recognized her distress, because he sent a silent question with his eyes.
Lily looked away.
The work was done. She had only to thank those who’d shown up and volunteered and she could escape to her home. She methodically made it around to each person and thanked them, avoiding the one person she didn’t want to speak to.
It wasn’t going to happen that easily, though. He caught up with her as she turned away from Clive.
“It was a good morning’s work, wasn’t it?”
“It was. Thanks for your help.”
“Glad to do it.”
She didn’t look up past his shoulder. Half a dozen people were within six feet of them, and all she wanted to do was slip away.
She caught sight of Rosemary heading toward the Shady Lady.
“I’m coming with you.” She joined her and didn’t look back.
She wasn’t going to look back again, ever.
Ever was a long time.
LILY THREW HERSELF into the repairs to the saloon and the livery, ordering supplies and auditing finances. She didn’t see the sheriff for three days, and made sure she wasn’t in the Shady Lady during the usual times he dropped by.
Celeste asked for an evening off, and Lily simply told her to trade with one of the other girls.
The following morning at breakfast, Celeste burst into the kitchen with a smile as wide as the Montana sky.
“Mitch asked me to marry him!” she announced in breathless excitement.
A stunned silence was followed by cheers and congratulations and quite a few tears.
“You said yes?” Helena asked.
“Of course I said yes! I’m head over heels for him, and he’s just as wild about me. He has a steady job, and he’s already got a little place that was his grandpa’s. It’s not fancy, but it’s a start. We can fix it up some. I can still take in laundry.”
Lily absorbed the news with a combination of joy and sadness. Seeing Celeste and Mitch’s burgeoning love had been heartwarming and reassuring. So many of her friends bore the scars of past hurts and abuse, and it pleased her immeasurably to know that some of those wounds could be healed.
But thinking of Celeste leaving their tightly knit circle of safety and Lily’s protective eye felt like letting go of a child.
“Will he let you come see us?” Molly asked. “After you’re married?”
“Well, of course he will, silly. Mitch thinks all of you are like family. Just like I do.”
Mollie glanced at Helena and then at Lily. They were all probably thinking that once Celeste moved out and became a part of the community, it would be better for her if she didn’t look back here. She would be more accepted if she cut her ties.
“Ten minutes and we’ll meet for base ball practice!” Lily called.
“I’m real pleased for you,” Lily told Celeste when they had a few minutes alone on their way to the section of land Saul had mown for their practice field. “You deserve this, remember that. Any man who is smart enough to love and appreciate you is one hell of a man in my book.”
Celeste hugged her, and Lily closed her eyes and held back tears. “I told him, of course. That I’m not a virgin.” Celeste moved back and Lily noted the young woman had tears of her own in her eyes when she met Lily’s gaze. “He said it didn’t matter. That we’re starting our lives together and the past doesn’t count.”
Lily nodded. “I always did like Mitch.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust again,” Celeste told her. “But I feel safe with him. Loved.”
Lily’s throat was too tight to speak, so she just squeezed her friend’s hands and gave her a watery smile. Few women had come and gone in the years Lily had operated the Shady Lady, and none of them had been with her as long, nor been as dear to her, as Celeste.
This was what it was all about, she realized: seeing the girls gain confidence, helping them develop into women who could make good decisions and be in charge of their own lives.
“No more tears.” Lily took a deep breath and exhaled. “We have a game to learn.”
George joined them later that morning to go over the rules for the game and to help them measure their diamond-shaped field.
“This is like town ball,” George explained, “but some of the rules are different. We use bats instead of paddles—Lily already bought those—and there are four flat bases instead of posts.” He held up a book for them to read: Beadles Dime Base Ball Player. “Every team gets a copy of this.”
“I’ve played this,” Thomas called. The man had stayed with them all summer and never mentioned moving on. “There are base ball clubs in all the big cities back east.”
“What’s the first thing we have to learn to do?” Mollie asked.
“To hit the ball with the bat when it’s pitched. That’s the whole point.”
“Okay, let’s practice that. We can read the book at home.”
“I’ll explain as we go,” George said. “Let’s see who can pitch the ball.”
Turned out Old Jess was the best pitcher. His wiry upper-body strength lent what he needed, and his aim was right on.
Lily laughed time after time as she watched the women swing the bat, miss the ball and spin in a corkscrew. But when it was her turn, she discovered it wasn’t so easy. Big Saul took right to it, though, hitting that ball and sending it flying.
George whooped and waved his hat when the ball sailed across the field into tall grass. “That’s what you’re supposed to do!”
“He’s our secret weapon!” Thomas shouted.
Determined now, the women lined up for their turns. Mollie hit the ball twice and Celeste managed to strike it once, too. Lily made up her mind that she wasn’t going to let them show her up. When her turn came, she hammered the ball on the third try. The impact jolted her arm and shoulder and the ball flew into the sky.
Everyone cheered for her.
By then it was midmorning, and their arms were tired and sore. “Let’s call it a day and practice again tomorrow,” she suggested.
“None of the other teams have started practicing yet,” George said with a grin.
“Who’s our competition?” Lily asked.
“Bernie and Zeke formed a team of men from their places with a couple of miners. Howard got together a bunch with Wade and some ranchers. Peyton Gibbs asked the sheriff to be on his team, and they’ve recruited Amos’s son, John, plus Spooner and Clive. I think there’s a team entirely made up of miners, too.”
Of course, the sheriff was playing on the mayor’s team. He was courting the man’s daughter.
Lily followed the others back to the Shady Lady, where they washed up and changed clothing and resumed their daily tasks.
Lily took paper and pencil to the bar and worked on a list to plan Celeste’s wedding. There was a quiet card game underway in the far corner, and Old Jess was napping on a chair near the stove.
It was difficult to imagine Celeste leaving. Lily’s was a home where the members were free to come and go as they pleas
ed, but rarely did anyone leave. Lily was glad to offer refuge and work and support. It was only natural that some would grow and leave the nest. Celeste was making a good choice for herself. She deserved to be a wife. Maybe someday a mother.
Lily only hoped that if she and Mitch chose to stay in Thunder Canyon, the town would be accepting.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
The familiar voice caught her unaware. She turned to find the sheriff moving to sit beside her.
She’d been able to avoid him most of the week. He never came by the Shady Lady in the afternoon.
“I was just thinking about Celeste and Mitch.”
“Something’s going on there, isn’t it?”
“They’re getting married.”
“Well. Something’s really going on there.” He eyed her. “Are you unhappy about it?”
“Not at all. I’m very happy for them.”
He stood up. “Mind if I help myself to a draw?”
“Go ahead.”
He flipped over a mug and tipped it under the tap on the barrel. He flicked foam off into a pail by the keg and came back to sit. “You’ve been keepin’ yourself scarce lately.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy for a swim?”
Had he looked for her? Waited for her? “Yes.”
“Shame. Let me know if you want to borrow a horse.”
“Wade told me he’d give me a horse anytime I wanted. No charge.”
“You taking him up on it?”
“If I need one.”
He studied the wall behind the bar where the portrait hung beside a huge bare expanse. “Looks mighty strange not to see that mirror up there, doesn’t it?”
She agreed. She tried not to think about it.
“Did you make some kind of deal to get the damages paid for?”
“We did. He was able to pay half. The rest comes in installments over the next year. Meriel is earning part of it.”
His eyebrows shot up. “How?”
“Turns out she was a seamstress before she came here and married Wade. She’s taking in sewing.”
The Bounty Hunter Page 17
