Flight to Freedom, page 11
And then there were Bonny Hart and Gloria O’Connor the washerwomen, both Southern belles from Louisiana, both newlyweds. She’d heard a lot about Gloria from Reese, her sister-in-law, and knew their relationship was a fractious one – Gloria had long looked down her nose at Reese for being, well, not up to her standard. Reese had resented it, and not silently. Still, if she had questions, Gloria probably knew more than she did. And Reese didn’t have a bad word to say about Bonny, though that might be touchy too, given Rose’s history with her husband …
… well, she’d just have to try her best. But now she felt like she could, no longer shackled to a House or the work inside it. She could start afresh, the whole reason she’d come to Redemption Bluff. And she wouldn’t have to do it alone.
She couldn’t help but glance at Calder. Nope – not alone at all. She lofted a prayer of thanks to the Almighty for bringing her to this town, and this man. He’d gotten her this far – He would take care of the rest too.
After church was over, Calder asked her if she’d like to go to the New Day Café for lunch. “If you don’t have something planned with Reese, I mean.”
“I’d love to,” she replied. She could always go see Reese later at the cigar shop. Right now, she couldn’t get enough of Calder’s presence.
They walked down the street and across to the café, beating most of the parishioners who were still chatting in and just outside the church. Molly was already there and seated them at a table near the back, her son trailing behind her. Rose waved to him. “Hello.”
“Hi!” he said excitedly. “I’m Andy.”
“Andy, what have I told you about bothering the customers?” Molly said gently.
“He’s not bothering me, really,” Rose assured her. “Hello, Andy – I’m Rose.”
“Hi, Rose. I just turned seven.”
“Good for you.”
Andy grinned wider. “You’re really pretty.”
Rose was stunned for a moment. “Why, thank you, Andy.”
“Though not as pretty as my mom.”
Rose chuckled as Molly rolled her eyes. “Andy, why don’t you get them some coffee?”
“Okay, Mom.” Andy headed for the kitchen.
“That boy will be the death of me,” Molly muttered, but she was blushing. “Any idea what you’d like?”
Rose looked over the hand-printed menu. “Oh, yes – the corned beef and cabbage, please.” That dish always reminded her of Mum and Da, of the good times before everything fell apart.
“I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich, Molly,” Calder added. “And fried potatoes for the both of us.”
Molly wrote it down as Andy returned with their coffee, a sugar bowl and a cream pitcher, then led him away. Rose watched her go, wondering what it might be like to have a son of her own. If she wanted one, she’d need to do something about it fast – at thirty-two, her time for children was starting to run low. Did Calder want children? She’d never thought to ask …
A few minutes later, the café having filled quickly, Molly returned with Cletus Morris limping behind her. “Would you two mind sharing your table?”
Calder looked up, smiled and moved over for the man. “Not a problem. Good day, Cletus.”
Cletus sat with a groan. “Good day to you too. My usual, Molly, and keep the coffee coming.”
“Three eggs and hash browns, coming right up.” Molly headed off again.
Cletus sighed happily. “Aw, always good to get off my feet. So how have you been, Miss Mahaffey? This fella ain’t annoying you too much?” He jerked a thumb at Calder.
Rose giggled. “Not at all – he’s been the perfect host.” Among other things, but she wasn’t quite ready to declare her love to the world. It felt too precious to share just yet.
“Glad to hear it, glad to hear it.” Cletus shook his head. “For me it’s been mostly work. And I may have to head up to Abilene again pretty soon – I’m running low on a lot of winter items I can’t get at the fort.”
“That’s too bad,” Calder said sympathetically. “I know that trip wears on you.”
“Three days there and three days back – and that’s when the roads are good. With this on-and-off snow making ‘em soggy …” Cletus shook his head again. “Makes me older than my years, and I’ve got a lot of years.”
“It’ll be easier when they put the railroad through,” Calder remarked. “Whenever that happens.”
The two men spent a minute speculating on when a rail line might reach Redemption Bluff, but Rose wasn’t listening – she’d just had a terrific idea. She’d been wondering what she could do with herself now that she was living a new life, and she already knew that there really wasn’t enough activity at Calder’s house/stage stop to keep them both occupied. Maybe … “Um, Cletus?”
“Yes, dearie?”
“When you have to go to Fort Dodge or Abilene for supplies, who runs the mercantile?” She suspected she knew the answer, but thought she should check.
Cletus chuckled. “No one does. I just lock up until I get back.”
“Why don’t you hire a clerk – someone to help you out and mind the place while you’re gone?”
Cletus might be old – though not as old as he acted – but he wasn’t slow. “You looking for a job, missy?”
“Well … yes, I am.” Might as well push her luck.
“Hm.” Cletus rubbed his freshly-shaven chin. “I’ve thought about it sometimes. It’d be nice having some help around the place, and not having to close every time I leave town. And having a pretty young lady in there would be good for business.”
Rose saw Calder stiffen – was he jealous? Well, he didn’t need to worry about Cletus stealing her away – she knew when she had it good.
“It’s an interesting thought,” Cletus continued. “Calder, can you vouch for this girl?”
“Sure can. She’s as honest as the day is long.”
“Well … tell you what, girl. Come on over after lunch, I’ll show you around the place, and if I think you’ll suit, you can start tomorrow. Anyone Calder trusts, I should have no problem with. If it works out tomorrow, I’ll head for Abilene and see how you can run the place in my absence. Calder can probably help you out lifting heavy stuff if you can’t do it on your own – he pitches in for me once in a while. I can’t pay much, but would a dollar a day do?”
“That … that would be great! Thank you!” Rose hadn’t thought it would happen so quickly. She smiled at Calder, who grinned right back. All of a sudden, she had a job – or at least the possibility of one – and her life in Redemption Bluff was moving forward. Would wonders never cease?
Chapter Eleven
Come late Monday morning, Rose found herself behind the counter of the mercantile, alone and still stunned at how quickly it had all happened.
As it turned out, Cletus knew about her past, at least in general, and didn’t care. He was only concerned that she could do the sums, learn quickly where everything in the store was, and wasn’t going to steal anything. Once he went over everything with her and shadowed her while she took care of a few customers (one of whom was Reese, which almost didn’t count), he felt free to pack up his wagon with handiwork from the citizenry to sell in Abilene and hit the road. Until he came back in a week, she was in charge.
She was thrilled – and nervous. She hoped she didn’t screw anything up too badly.
But the first full day was fairly quiet. Seamus O’Connor came in to buy some drinking glasses (apparently someone had gotten wild the previous night and broken quite a few) and several pounds of rolled oats. Luke Higgins looked over some cookware but didn’t purchase any, wanting to consult with his wife first. A few local women stopped by to say hi, introduce themselves and enjoy the novelty of dealing with a new clerk. In between, Rose swept the floor and dusted shelves and merchandise. Cletus apparently didn’t clean as much as he should.
The sun was going down and she was about to close up for the day when Gavin Hart strolled in. “Afternoon, Rose. How’s the new job?”
“So far, so good.” She set aside the pad she’d been using to tally up the day’s take. It didn’t look like she’d given anyone incorrect change. “How’s the new marriage?” Then she winced – maybe she shouldn’t have asked that. If it had been almost anyone else, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but she and Gavin had a history …
He just chuckled. “It’s going fine, real fine. She’s a sweetheart.”
“I’m glad for you, Gavin.” And she really was. She’d never been the type to be jealous of another’s good fortune, and while she may not have been treated with kindness by the Bauer Gang, none of them had been unfriendly either. It was interesting to see them all settled down, and two of them married. “So what brings you by? Or are you just here to chat?”
“Well, I’ve been running out of bullets and caps for my pistol.” He pulled it from its holster and set it on the counter. “Just trying to keep in practice.”
She smiled and picked it up. Gavin liked his Remington Model 1858 Army revolver, she remembered – one of the many details she’d picked up while with the gang. “Now if I recall, this takes a .36 caliber slug?”
“Sure does.”
“Let me check the shelf.” Cletus carried a wide variety of bullets, balls and caps, since unlike many Western towns, Redemption Bluff let everyone keep their arms handy. It was necessary in a place where you never knew when a marshal or an outlaw was going to roll in and cause trouble. Cletus himself kept a Remington 12-gauge shotgun under the counter in case of trouble, and though he admitted he’d never had to fire it in the store, he’d made sure she knew how to use it before he left.
Finding the right bullets and caps was easy enough – Cletus might not dust much, but he kept his stock in good order. Rose came back to the counter with two boxes and looked up the prices in the book there. Gavin handed over the money, took the boxes and his gun, and she put the money in the lockbox under the counter.
But Gavin didn’t leave just yet. Instead, he stood there fidgeting. “Something wrong?” she asked.
Gavin spent a few seconds looking at his boots, his new purchases, the walls. Finally he cleared his throat and said, “I wanted to say … I’m glad you got out of Purgatory. And …” He sighed before continuing. “… and I’m sorry we didn’t treat you better when you were with the gang.”
Rose’s jaw dropped. “Well … thank you, Gavin. I really appreciate that. I, um, guess Hawk and Drake … sorry, Dane …”
Gavin chuckled again. “Yeah, I keep using his old name too. Old habits are hard to break. And yeah, they talked about their conversation with you. I guess you blistered them real good.”
“I didn’t mean to. It was just … I don’t know why they were so suspicious about me. I’ve never done them wrong except maybe when we tried to haul Hawk back to the gang, and that was a group effort. I understand them being protective of Calder, but I didn’t like them picking on me about it, I’ll tell you that.”
“No reason you should. I think it’s mostly Dane – for some reason, he feels like he can’t truly trust …”
“A prostitute?” Rose finished for him. “Even if they’ve left the life?”
“Exactly.” Gavin shook his head. “I’m not sure why not – it’s just a stumbling block for him.” He tapped his temple. “Something in his mind.”
“Well, it’s one he’d better get over real quick if he wants to make any headway with Reese.” Oh – another thing maybe she shouldn’t have said.
But apparently it wasn’t news. “You’ve noticed that too, huh?”
“Hard to miss. When he’s around, Reese can’t see anything but him. And he keeps coming back to see her. But then they both run away. I’ve wanted to talk to Reese about it, but she won’t discuss it much.”
“As my daddy used to say, ‘they just need to go get married and make babies.’” They both laughed at that. “Um … maybe I should keep my nose to myself, but you and Calder …”
Rose burst out laughing. “Oh, go ahead and stick your nose in! Calder and I …” She sighed deeply. “… are crazy about each other.”
“Really?” Gavin’s eyebrows headed for the ceiling.
“Really.” She hadn’t realized how she’d been bursting to tell someone until now, despite having thought she should hold back. Honestly, she wanted to shout it from the nearest rooftop. “He is such a wonderful man.”
“Well, how about that? And it doesn’t bother you, him being a Negro?”
“No more than it bothers him that I’m white. He treats me so well, I wouldn’t care if he was blue with orange spots.”
“Good for you. We gonna hear wedding bells soon?”
“I hope so. I mean, we haven’t discussed it, but we probably ought to, living under the same roof and all. Propriety, you know.” It felt good to say the word – propriety. She’d never had the luxury of worrying about that before. With enough time, maybe she could become a respected part of the town like Reese was.
“I’ll say it again – I’m glad for you. Especially that you got free of Purgatory.” Gavin turned for the door.
The mention of Purgatory jogged Rose’s memory. “Wait! I was wondering – can I ask a favor?”
Gavin returned to the counter. “Sure – what do you need?”
Rose took a deep breath. “I spotted Lucullus Pope a few days ago. Riding just across the river.”
Gavin looked alarmed. “Luckless Pope’s been sniffing around? You think he might be after you?”
“No other reason I can think of for him to come here. I ran away, so he’s likely to take that personally. He always used to say we girls would never get away from him …” Despite the warmth in the building, she shuddered.
“Well, shoot, that can’t stand. I’ll tell Hawk and Dane – we’ll keep a lookout. If he shows his wrinkled face in town, I know I’ll be happy to tell him to take himself back to Purgatory. We don’t want his kind here unless he’s quit Denton and is ready to start a new life.”
“Which I doubt.” Though if she could turn a new leaf, she supposed even Luckless could.
“Thanks for letting me know. In fact, I think I’ll go tell them right now. One of them’s probably patrolling at the moment. You take care, Rose. Keep us posted if you see him again.” Gavin left in a hurry.
Rose couldn’t help but smile. She had a man she loved, and who loved her. She had a proper job in a proper business. She had friends helping her and protecting her. It felt like even God was smiling down on her. Less than three weeks before, she’d felt hopeless and sad, not wishing for anything but to run away and with no plan once she did. And now … all this. It almost made her head spin, how fast things had changed for the better. Pope was really the only cloud on the horizon – and she hadn’t seen any sign of him since Friday night.
She went to lock up the mercantile for the night, eager to get home to Calder. Home – another word that she was glad to think about after not being able to for so long. She wondered what he’d made for dinner …
Egg pie, Calder thought. That would be different. Maybe mix in some cheese and crumbled bacon, and he’d canned some spinach last fall.
He laughed to himself. He’d never worried about exotic recipes, or even variety, when he’d just been cooking for one. But now that Rose was here, he wanted to make dinner special for her. What a difference a few weeks made. What a difference being in love made.
But the differences weren’t always good ones. He’d been all in favor of her working at Cletus’ mercantile – he understood that she was the type that needed to be up and doing things, rather than sitting around convalescing. And it was nice to know that if he needed to buy anything, he could just walk next door and not have to worry about if the mercantile was open, if Cletus was in town.
And yet, after spending half of January with Rose’s almost constant company, he found he missed it. He’d never really felt lonely living on his own – if anything, it was a nice change from his life as a slave, where he had to be at everyone’s beck and call, or at the Union camp where he and hundreds of other runaway slaves had been packed in like sardines in a can. He’d enjoyed the silence of the days, the occasional walk around town by himself, the long drift to sleep each night knowing that he could rest undisturbed until morning.
Now, these first few days in February, the hours yawned, open and empty, until Rose got home from work.
It was kind of funny in a way. Rose didn’t really cook, so he’d get up in the morning, make breakfast and a sandwich for her to take with her, and send her off to the mercantile. Then, unless a stage was coming through that day, he had nothing much to do until it was time to prepare dinner. He had to find busy work – sweeping the floors, dusting, scrubbing pans – and there was always Jonesy to take care of. Was this what it felt like to be a housewife? Only the roles were reversed.
Thursday the 4th had been met with a light but constant dusting of snow, which continued into the afternoon. The northbound stage would be coming through around two p.m., and knowing warmer fare would be preferred by the passengers, Calder prepared some chicken soup with rice. He had a bowlful for lunch, then brought bowls and spoons to Buggy and the passengers when the stage arrived. Soon they were on their way north to Purgatory, and he had an extra chore – washing the dishes.
And then the oppressive quiet set in again.
So it was a relief when there was a knock on the door while Calder was pouring the egg mixture into the pie crust. He went and opened it to find Vespasian shivering. “How’s it going, brother? Come in out of the cold.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” The older man brushed the snow off his coat sleeves, then removed the garment once he was inside and the door was closed. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. I was just going stirry at the boarding house and decided to take a walk, snow or no snow.” He shook his head. “Man, I need to get back to Texas – these Kansas winters are gonna be the death of me.”
Being from Mississippi, Calder understood. “Could be worse – I hear up in the Dakotas and Minnesota, they don’t get a thaw ‘til April.”
