He lifted her chin with his finger and stared right into her eyes, “Molly Sullivan, we live in an area with more dairy cows than people. We can buy milk. We can buy eggs. Being sheriff is going to keep me busy, and while a cow and a few chickens would be nice sometime down the road, I don’t picture myself farming. We don’t have the room. I know there’s a barn, but they had it when they owned a lot of land. I’ll use it for our horses.”
“Horses?”
“Of course, you need a horse. We may be close to town, but I like to ride. Do you?”
“Yes, I ride well. I think this is perfect.”
He hugged her again and took her hand. “Ready to go buy a house?”
“Yes, very ready.”
It was a short walk to the bank where Mr. Willoughby greeted them warmly. “Please, come into my office. Hobart, bring Sheriff Clay some coffee and tea for Miss Sullivan.”
Once seated in the banker’s office with cups of coffee and tea, Mr. Willoughby spoke. “Did you see the house? Did you approve? It is the only home available in town and in excellent condition.” He interlaced his fingers and watched Ben and Molly.
Ben answered, “Yes, Molly liked the house. I saw it earlier as you know and believe the price is fair.”
“Very good, very good,” Mr. Willoughby said. “I have the papers right here. I anticipated the sale and made the title out to Ben Clay and Molly Clay. It is much less work and cost than to add her after the wedding. You can sign today, Sheriff, and bring the title with you to the wedding. Miss Sullivan can sign as Molly Clay at the reception, and I’ll witness her signature. You don’t plan on moving in before the wedding, do you?”
Molly’s face rivaled a beet in color as she lowered her head and said, “No, sir.”
“Good, good, then all is well. Of course, you can live there at any time once the Sheriff signs, but it wouldn’t be your home. I suppose that’s beside the point here. Sheriff Clay will own the home as soon as he signs and transfers the funds. You already have the key. You can sleep there tonight, Sheriff. It must be more comfortable than the jail.”
Ben laughed, “I’m sure it is, but it’s cold in the house. I need to see if the firewood is dry and warm up the house. If not, I’ll buy some. I want it warm before I have anyone in there cleaning.”
“Of course, of course, you do whatever you want. Please sign here for the transfer of funds and then here for the purchase.”
Ben signed both papers, and Mr. Willoughby smiled broadly. Ben wondered how much of the price was sheer profit for the man. He certainly didn’t earn it. Ben came to him about a house. Mr. Willoughby sat behind his desk and answered Ben’s question and handed him a key. He would have sat there if Ben never walked in the office. The life of a banker must be peaceful and boring. Ben smiled back at the pleased banker biting back a laugh when he realized sales like this must keep Alberta Willoughby in those hideous hats she wore to Sunday services.
Ben stood, thanked Mr. Willoughby, shook his hand, and took Molly’s arm. “Let’s go and get you back to work, my dear.”
“Thank you, sir,” Molly said as they left the office. Mr. Willoughby nodded.
Outside on the boardwalk, Ben asked, “You don’t mind waiting until the wedding to own the house, do you?”
Molly stopped and looked up at him. “Ben, in my dreams of the future, living in a house never entered them. My biggest dream was freedom from the saloons. Cal, Nell, and Sarah helped me gain that freedom. You have given me more than any dream. I have a life with, God willing, children, a home, safety, and love. You have given me everything.”
Ben took her hand and kissed it. “I plan to kiss you properly as soon as we are alone. We have a house. We could see Samuel right now and get married. Next week is a long time to wait.”
“No, it’s not,” Molly’s eyes sparkled with laughter and love. “You and I will be married the Sunday after Christmas. My dress isn’t ready. How could I marry now?”
“You really need a new dress? You’re beautiful in everything you wear.”
“I didn’t think I did, but now that I’ve seen it nearly ready, I definitely need to wear the dress. I love it and you will, too. Rose said I look breathtaking in the gown.” Molly insisted.
“I’ll love it more after the reception when I can…” he whispered.
“Benjamin Clay, that’s a scandalous thought. It’s time I get back to work. You should chop wood or do something to take your mind off umm things,” Molly stated and walked down the boardwalk thinking about Sarah’s comment and all the buttons. Serves him right for thinking that way she thought as she reached the seamstress shop. Molly turned and waved at Ben. He smiled back, turned, and headed for the jail.
Sarah looked up when Molly entered the shop, “Your cheeks are red. Did it get colder out?”
“No, Ben and I were discussing my wedding dress. He wanted to get married today. I said I couldn’t because I want to wear my dress and he’ll love me in the dress. He said he’d love me out of it.” Molly shook his head.
Sarah laughed, “Men are all alike. Giles made similar comments before the wedding. Tell me, did you like the house?”
“I loved it, and Ben bought it. I’m excited. It’s a big house and Ben wants to fill it with children. Do you think I could be a good mother? I’m worried about being a wife.”
“You’ll be good at both. I worry about the same thing. We can talk and share our worries. In less than two weeks you’ll be a married woman. You should finish the lace on your dress, so Ben sees what you meant about it being perfect.”
“I don’t think he’s concerned about how I look in the dress.”
Sarah laughed, “He will once he sees you walking down the aisle.”
Chapter 20
Sarah, Rose, and Lucy asked Molly more questions about her new home than she could answer. Some of the questions hadn’t crossed her mind, and she would need to wait to answer them. Some she wanted to know, too. Did they need a storm cellar? Where will Ben add the bathing room? Did they have towels and bedding? She neglected to look into the bedroom chests. Sarah promised she’d help Molly buy what she needed after they could see the house. Molly knew Minnie would help her choose what food supplies she and Ben needed. It all seemed too much to accomplish before the wedding. Sarah sighed when she heard the bell above the shop’s door jingle. Time to get back to work.
Molly heard Sarah greet Henrietta and Eloise. “Come in back, both your dresses are ready for your final fitting. Yes, I received a letter from Celia. It’s exciting. We should help her celebrate. Nell suggested we dance at the same time of her wedding. Let’s make sure your dresses are perfect. After all, we’ll be guests even if we’re hundreds of miles apart.”
Henrietta walked into the back room and saw her dress hanging on a dress form.
“Are you sure I should wear the red? People are just getting used to me giving up my widow’s black. Wearing brown and blue to church have been a nice change, but that red will make me the center of unwanted attention.”
Eloise smiled. “She’s worried about Doubles. He’s changing his ways. Nell made him promise to eat at Callahan’s rather than the saloon before it burned down and now he speaks with Henrietta after Sunday services every week.” She walked over to Henrietta’s dress and lifted the sleeve. “This dress is beautiful. Doubles will trip over his own feet when he sees you.”
Henrietta crossed her arms across her chest, “That settles it. I’ll wear an old dress. I think I have a dull navy one that is good enough. Doubles, I mean Phineas, is an old friend that’s all.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Molly insisted. “You chose this fabric. You look beautiful in red and any man, including Doubles, will see a beautiful woman no matter what you wear, but the red is most becoming. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next bride after me.” She took the dress off the form. “Now, please change out of your dress so we can get this final fitting done.”
“Bride,” Henrietta stammered. “Marry Phineas? I told
you he’s only a friend.” She kept insisting he was a friend while she changed into the red dress that nearly matched the rosy color on her cheeks.
Molly helped Henrietta with the buttons on her dress, and Sarah stood back and looked at the fit of the dress. “I think it’s perfect You look beautiful, Henrietta. Look at yourself in the mirror.” Sarah stepped back and allowed Henrietta room to see herself in the new dress.
Henrietta took one look and spun around. “I can’t wear this. Red is meant for younger people. People will laugh.”
Sarah refused to allow Henrietta to belittle herself. “No one will laugh. Everyone knows you had the dress made here. Do you think I’d take a chance with my business by making you wear a dress that people will laugh at?”
“No, I suppose not. I can’t remember ever wearing a red dress even as a young woman.”
“You’re not an old woman,” Eloise insisted. “All those years in widow’s weeds made you look and feel old. It’s time to feel your actual age.”
Henrietta’s lip trembled. “I overheard two women at a church meeting wondering how old I am. They settled on at least seventy. I will have my fiftieth birthday next year.”
Rose stood and hurried to Henrietta’s side. “Excuse me, ma’am. I know we don’t know each other well, but I think you should wear the red and show those terrible women just how pretty you are. You don’t look close to fifty, and seventy is unthinkable. Wear the dress and show them you are still young enough to enjoy life.”
Henrietta blinked back the tears in her eyes. “Thank you, my dear. I’ll do that. I hope you will all be at the dance to help me keep my brave attitude if someone makes a cruel comment.”
“Yes, we’ll all be there,” Molly assured Henrietta. “Now that you have the perfect dress, it’s time to see how well Eloise’s dress fits.”
Sarah thought Eloise’s emerald green dress wouldn’t need further fitting, but it appeared a bit loose in the waist. Eloise admitted she’d been feeling poorly for a while and may have lost weight. “Hmm,” Sarah said. “It’s a beautiful dress. With this fabric, if I take it in and you gain the weight you lost, and I need to let it out again, it won’t look the same. I think that you should wear the dress the way it is and loosen your corset a bit. The dress will fit, and you’ll feel better. I don’t know who thought we’d look better in tight fitting corsets. I’d like to burn mine.”
“Don’t say that in front of Alberta Willoughby or it might become her next cause. She’ll start a corset bonfire in the middle of Main Street,” Eloise said while considering Sarah’s suggestion about the fit of her dress. “I like the idea of loosening my corset instead of taking in the dress. Let me try now to be sure I like the way I look.”
Molly helped Eloise remove her dress and redress a few minutes later. Eloise looked at herself in the mirror. “It still looks nice, and you’re right. I feel better. Maybe I should loosen my corset more often.”
Each of the ladies laughed and agreed all thinking to themselves if they would attend a corset burning or remain at home.
“Surely,” Molly spoke first, “Even Mrs. Willoughby wouldn’t do anything as drastic as burn corsets.”
“Perhaps not,” Eloise answered, “But let’s not give her the idea. You heard how she argued with Judge Magarey. That woman either has courage or the sense of a fool.”
After their final hems had been pinned and the dresses promised in two days, Henrietta and Eloise headed for the mercantile.
Ben tipped his hat when he saw them. “Good afternoon, ladies. Glorious day, isn’t it?”
He walked across the street to the dress shop and opened the door sticking his head inside. “Molly, sweetheart, I posted a notice at the mercantile asking for men to clear the yard and women for house cleaning. Minnie said if no one answers, the ladies at church will clean the house. Everything will be done before the wedding. I’ll see you later.” He grinned and closed the door walking toward the jail whistling the entire way.
Sarah commented, “He is one happy man.”
Molly nodded. “He’s happy, and I’m busy. I still have a lot of lace to sew on my dress.”
“I have hems to sew. We can discuss what you need for your home while we work.”
~ * ~
Ben pushed open the door of his office, poured himself a cup of lukewarm coffee, and looked through the wanted posters on his desk. There was little crime in Gentle Falls, and the poster search was routine. His mind drifted back to Charlie, and the time they searched for the men with the largest bounty and worst crimes. Charlie taught him if you kill a man who killed another it’s justice. Ben never fully agreed with that. He wanted to bring the men to justice, but he and Charlie disagreed on whether they were brought in riding a horse or thrown over the back of their animal. He pushed back in his chair and drank the coffee grateful the town of Gentle Falls was peaceful.
The door opened, and Judge Magarey strode in and sat in the chair opposite Ben.
“Something on your mind, sir? I’d offer you coffee, but it’s cold.”
“Thanks, I had dinner with Roy and Miranda Greiner yesterday evening and as I was leaving Luke Tremble asked me if I knew of any deputy positions open. The boy is bored with farming and training horses. He rode in a posse with our former sheriff and seems trustworthy. I know you worked with him. Do you think he’d make a good deputy?”
“He likes the adventure of the job or what he assumes is adventure. He’s a good listener and dependable. I’d ride with him anytime I needed a deputy. He and Joseph watched things while I took Underwood to Waupun. I think he’d do well. Do you have anywhere special in mind?”
“A friend in Kansas lives in a growing town. His sheriff could use some help. The town isn’t as peaceful as here. Lots of rough characters passing through. You think Luke could deal with that?”
“Yeah, I do.”
The judge stood and shook Ben’s hand. “Thanks, I’ll send a telegraph. I heard you bought a house. Don’t get too soft as a married man. We still need a strong sheriff.”
Ben laughed, “I won’t. I keep busy. Right now, I need to check out that tent going up across the tracks. Louis said Underwood ordered two tents and several cases of whiskey the day the saloon burned. He intended to use the tents as a saloon until he rebuilt. Underwood’s daytime bartender had the receipt and picked up the tents today. I think he plans to run the saloon in Underwood’s place.”
“New saloon, new rules. Drunk men in a cold tent are their own business. Make sure he knows no women. I won’t see women freezing outside in a tent or some shack they build. Warn him that he’ll face jail time if he brings women in or worse, we could send Alberta Willoughby and her lady friends to march around the tents.”
Ben slapped his hat on his head and followed the Judge outside. The sun began its slide down over the forest, and long shadows covered the street. It was a good time to find men at the saloon and tell them all the new rules.
~ * ~
Lucy returned from her trip to the mercantile with an armload of supplies. “I think I have everything I need for now and there was a letter from Beth. Mrs. Masters said she was so excited about her friend’s letter that she forgot to bring mine.”
Rose set her sewing down and took one of the packages from Lucy. “Did you write Beth and tell her the saloon burned down? She might want to remain at her aunt’s home. She can’t work for Underwood now not that I want to see her back doing her old job.”
“No, I didn’t have an address. She left as soon as she received the telegram. Let me open it and see what she says.”
“I hope she’s well.”
“Oh, her aunt passed the day after she arrived. She’s not returning and asks that we don’t tell Underwood where she is. Her aunt left her the small house she lived in and Beth found a job working at the local hotel cleaning rooms and helping in the kitchen. Her aunt told people Beth was a widow and she’s letting her aunt’s lie pave the rest of her life. People are kind and accepting. She wants to f
orget her past.”
“I’m sad she lost her aunt, but happy she has a new life. You need to write to her and let her know she needn’t worry about Underwood. He’s in prison, and the saloon is gone. Beth can start a new life. Maybe we can start one, too.” Rose turned to carry the package upstairs.
“I’ll write her tonight, and we’ll start new lives, Rose. I believe God will show both of us a new life path just as He has with Beth.” Lucy followed Rose with the rest of the supplies and set them on the small kitchen table.
“Sarah left for home, and Molly went to Callahan’s to see Nell. Sarah insists we go through the dresses for sale in the shop. Both she and Molly want us to attend the Christmas Eve dance, and we can wear the dresses to Molly’s wedding.”
“I can’t afford a new dress especially the lovely gowns Sarah makes.”
“Neither can I, but she said they are Christmas gifts from her and Molly.”
Lucy dropped onto a chair and dropped her hands into her lap. “They’re good to us. I will miss living here. If only people didn’t know what I did before, I could live here for the rest of my life.”
Rose hugged her friend. “It isn’t what you did, but what they think. We know you didn’t do anything wrong. I’d be more worried that crazy Mrs. Willoughby found out her husband was kind to you.”
Lucy smiled, “You’re right. I need to start supper. No more anxious thoughts. Life will be better when we leave for the west.”
Chapter 21
Two days before the Christmas Eve dance, Ben stopped at the seamstress shop.
“Good morning, sweetheart, are you busy. Can I take you for a walk and show you the house?”
Molly looked at Sarah, and she shooed them away. “Go, all the dresses for the dance have been picked up. We don’t have much work to do today. See your house and let me know if I can help you with what you need.”
Ben helped Molly into her coat, and she tied a warm bonnet under her chin. Taking his arm, they began strolling toward their new home.
“Thank you for hiring someone to clean the house. I could have cleaned in the evenings.”
Molly's Heart Page 13
