His Sweet Amber (The Red Petticoat Saloon)

by Sue Lyndon

  He swallowed past the sickness rising in his throat and burst through the door of The Red Petticoat. At this hour, only a few patrons were seated at the bar. In the far corner, a man sat at a table smoking a cigar and nursing a double shot of whiskey. A gem with long red hair he didn’t know by name greeted him as he walked further inside, scanning the main room for some sign of Callie.

  “I’m here to see Callie,” he told the redhead. When the woman gave him a confused look, he clarified. “I mean Amber. I’m here to see Amber. I’m a friend of hers.”

  “I’m sort of new here and I’m not sure if I should be telling you where she is, sir.” The redhead moved toward the kitchen. “Madame Jewel!”

  The pretty madame exited the kitchen area holding a mug of coffee in her hands. When her eyes met with Lawrence’s, she smiled and said, “Well, it’s about time. Tell me, Mr. Black, do you really intend to make an honest woman of Callie?”

  “I do.” In his heart, they were already joined together. He’d told himself she’d become his wife in truth the first time they had laid together, but he hadn’t counted on her refusing his marriage proposal. “Is she here? I have to see her.”

  Madame Jewel nodded toward the door. “She left a few minutes ago. Said she was going on a walk.”

  Lawrence rushed back out into the early morning. He coughed as a passing wagon kicked up a cloud of dust. Once it passed, he hurried in the direction of the bridge that led over Culpepper River. He had a strong suspicion where he might find her.

  Along the river, several young boys sat with fishing poles. He headed further down the bank to the secluded spot they’d chosen for their picnic, weeks ago before Callie had gone to work at The Red Petticoat. Weeks ago when he should have pushed his doubts aside and pursued her, courted her properly, and made her his wife before she ended up seeking refuge at the saloon. God, what a fool he’d been to believe he wasn’t ready for a wife. He was more than ready, and his heart sang at the prospect of making her Mrs. Callie Black.

  There. He spotted a petite blonde seated on a blanket, wearing a blue dress. It was the same dress she’d worn to their picnic, in fact. His pulse quickened as he reached her. She was staring at the rushing water and didn’t notice him at first. He stepped closer, and when his shadow fell over her, she finally looked up with a gasp.

  Relief filled her eyes as she stared up at him. “Lawrence?”

  He sat down next to her and took her hands in his. “Marry me, Callie. Marry me today.”

  “Lawrence, I don’t think…”

  “Listen to me. Just listen. We can stay in Culpepper or leave town on the next stagecoach. Whatever you want, Callie. But there’s no good reason we should stay apart. Whatever my future holds, whether I’m meant to stay in Culpepper, whether I’m meant to take up preaching again here or somewhere else, or perhaps never at all, or have a simple life somewhere far away from here, I want that future to be with you. I love you, Callie, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and making you happy. Everything else—all the worry you have for my reputation and yours—none of that matters as long as we’re together. If we try staying in Culpepper, we can always leave if you don’t feel accepted here. I won’t see you hurt, Callie. I want to fix all your hurts and keep you as mine. My sweet wife.” He stroked her hair behind her ears and then went back to holding her hands in his. “Have I mentioned that I love you? God, I love you so much I can hardly breathe sometimes.”

  She wiped away a lone tear that had trickled down her cheek. “Oh, Lawrence, I love you too.” She smiled.

  “Then say yes. Say you’ll marry me.”

  “All right.” Her smile widened and she laughed as more tears streamed down her face. “Yes, Lawrence Black, I’ll marry you.”

  He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest.

  This is where she belonged. At his side and in his embrace. He closed his eyes and thanked God she’d said yes. He had prayed hourly for this moment to come to pass. She probably didn’t even realize that meeting her had helped cool much of his anger toward God. She was healing all his hurts and he owed her everything in return.

  When he pulled back to kiss her, she moaned sweetly against his mouth as he took command of the kiss and held her face in his hands as he explored and tasted her.

  “Let’s get married right here. Right here beside the river,” he said. “I’ll go find the judge. He always stays at the Bentley Inn. I’ll find him and meet you back here. If you want to bring some friends to bear witness to our union, I won’t object. Whoever you want. Everyone from The Red Petticoat if you wish it.”

  She grinned up at him. “I’d like to keep it small. Maybe just Madame Jewel and Opal. Well, Gabriel too. Oh, and Nettie. Are you inviting anyone?”

  “If I run into the mayor or the sheriff, I’ll invite them. But I’m not going to waste too much time hunting them down. I can’t wait to make you my bride.” He kissed her again. “Meet me back here in an hour?”

  “I promise I won’t be late.”

  They walked back into town together, holding hands and talking about the plans for the next few days. Lawrence wanted them to spend tonight at the inn, then leave tomorrow morning for his cabin. He whispered to her that he might not allow her to wear clothes for a week, and she blushed so adorably that it took all his self-control not to follow her into the saloon and have his way with her before their wedding ceremony. They parted ways in the center of town, with Callie heading for The Red Petticoat to find her friends, and Lawrence heading for the Bentley Inn in search of the circuit judge.

  As luck would have it, Lawrence found Judge Johnson exiting the inn as he reached the steps.

  “Judge. I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Not now,” the man said, rushing by him down the steps. “I’m on my way to officiate a wedding ceremony.”

  “Wait!”

  The judge paused and looked at Lawrence over his shoulder. He gave a sigh and shook his head as if in exacerbation. “Let me guess. You need me to officiate a ceremony for you, too?”

  “Are you free in an hour, Judge?”

  “Yes, just tell me where to be. I tell you what, this town needs a preacher in that parsonage, with all the weddings I end up performing during my trips here. I officiate more weddings than I hold trials.”

  “Perhaps the town will have a preacher one day soon,” Lawrence said. If he didn’t feel the calling to become the town pastor, he would write to some of his friends on the east coast and locate a preacher for Culpepper himself. “Judge, could you meet me and my bride down by the river? We’d like to get married as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  *

  Opal bounced up and down. “Oh, I’m so excited! Congratulations!” She hurled herself at Callie and gave her a fierce hug.

  “I need your help, Opal.” Callie started tossing her things back into her valises the moment her friend released her. “I’m to meet Lawrence by the river in one hour. I’d love for you, Madame Jewel, Gabriel, and Nettie to come bear witness. Could you gather them up and be there an an hour? I’d like to finish packing and fix myself up a bit.”

  “Consider it done,” Opal replied, already on her way out the door of Callie’s room.

  Once Callie was alone, she finished packing up all her belongings, fitting everything she owned into the two valises that she’d left the Gerrards with in a hurry almost a month ago. So much had happened since then.

  She’d become a gem. She’d fallen in love. She’d made plans to travel back east, only to decide to get married and stay in Culpepper for the time being.

  She tried to ignore the flutters in her tummy. Lawrence would be a good husband. She wasn’t worried about that. But she still couldn’t help fret over what her status as a former gem would do to his reputation. She reminded herself that it was already common knowledge around town that Lawrence was sweet on her and had visited her every night for a week, showing up and paying
fifty dollars each night just to keep all other men away from her. It had become somewhat of a challenge for some men who’d shown up at the saloon during that week, who’d hoped Lawrence wouldn’t come and Callie would be free to go upstairs with someone new.

  She supposed the damage had already been done to his reputation. That realization bolstered her confidence in her decision to marry him, though it saddened her that gossip spread so quickly in Culpepper.

  After glancing around her room to make sure she’d packed all her belongings, she moved to the small mirror above the dresser and set about fixing her hair. She styled it in a twist atop her head, with half of her golden curls falling over her shoulders. It was the same style she’d been wearing the morning she met Lawrence in the mercantile, when she’d almost bumped into him as she rounded an aisle. Warmth filled her at the memory of that day, of how he’d made it halfway out of the store only to turn around and ask her to meet him the next day.

  Once her hair looked perfect, she gazed down at her skirts to make sure they weren’t too wrinkled. This was one of her best dresses and she had felt a tad silly putting it on this morning when she hadn’t had any special plans. However, she’d wanted to say goodbye to Lawrence and Culpepper in her own way. Wearing the very dress she’d worn during their picnic beside the river had seemed fitting.

  Once satisfied all the wrinkles were smoothed from her skirts, she placed her valises next to the door. She would ask Gabriel to deliver them to Bentley Inn after the wedding ceremony.

  Her heart skittered at the knowledge that tomorrow she would head to the mountain with Lawrence and be alone with him for as many days as they remained in the Sierras in his cabin. At The Red Petticoat, they’d never been truly alone. The voices, laughter, and music from downstairs could be heard in her room, even with the door closed. Not to mention the amorous noises that could often be heard coming from the other gems’ nearby rooms.

  She sat on the bed, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Her hands started shaking in her lap, and she smiled at her own excitement to marry Lawrence. Weeks ago when Mrs. Gerrard had been introducing her to the eligible men in town, she had never imagined she would be this excited to get married. She had envisioned herself settling on the most sensible choice and simply going through the motions of a wedding ceremony. She had certainty never believed she would marry for love. But in less than an hour, she would be doing just that.

  After glancing in the mirror one last time, she headed downstairs. She heard Nettie and Opal talking excitedly in the kitchen, and she slipped outside by herself, knowing her friends would show up at the river on time. She wished to arrive there a few minutes early though, and decided to go on ahead by herself.

  As she walked down the street, she avoided the judgmental glances a few of the older women gave her, though she couldn’t help but wonder what they would think if they knew the truth about the Gerrards, particularly Mr. Gerrard. At least she hadn’t run into him in town since that fateful night.

  The bridge came into sight and Callie quickened her pace. But a short figure stepped in her path, forcing her to come to a halt. Her breath caught and her stomach flipped, but Callie held her head high, refusing to cower in front of this particular woman.

  “Good morning to you, Mrs. Gerrard.”

  To her surprise, the elderly woman didn’t glare at Callie or give her any kind of look that bordered on hatred, as she had the night she kicked her out on the street. Instead, Mrs. Gerrard smiled politely, and if Callie didn’t know better, she would have thought the woman had been crying recently. Her smile couldn’t disguise the dark pink rings surrounding her bloodshot eyes. Callie didn’t know if she should inquire what was wrong or keep walking.

  “Good morning, Callie. How-how have you been? Well, I hope?”

  Taken aback by what sounded like a sincere question, Callie stared down at Mrs. Gerrard and tried to discern whether or not her apparent kindness was some sort of nasty trick. “I-I have been well.” Part lie and part truth, but Mrs. Gerrard didn’t need to know all that had happened to Callie since the night Mr. Gerrard had nearly molested her. All that mattered was that Callie had found happiness with a decent man who loved her.

  “Are you and the preacher going to get married? I heard that he’s been courting you, even though… even though… well, you know.” Mrs. Gerrard flushed and her eyes kept dancing away from Callie’s.

  Callie got the sense that Mrs. Gerrard was too ashamed to hold her gaze. The realization stunned her. She cleared her throat. “Yes, I am going to marry Mr. Black. Today, in fact.”

  Mrs. Gerrard smiled, though the unmistakable sadness still lurked in her eyes. She blinked rapidly a few times, and then she swallowed hard and appeared to fumble for words, because her lips moved but no sound came out. Quite uncharacteristic of the woman. Finally, Callie heard what she was trying to say.

  “I wish you well, my dear. I wish you all the best.” Her head jerked up. “Well, I must be going. I am going to surprise Thom at his claim. He has been there for a long time without returning to Culpepper, so I thought I might surprise him.”

  “Surely you aren’t traveling there alone, Mrs. Gerrard?” Callie couldn’t fathom what was wrong with her former friend. She was behaving oddly. Callie had imagined if she ran into Mrs. Gerrard, that the old woman would sneer at her and try cutting her down with cruel words. But that wasn’t the case at all.

  “I hired Lester York to bring me there. He takes a wagon up the mountain to Thom’s claim from time to time, to deliver supplies. I have never been there before, of course, but Mr. York knows the way.” She gave another smile that appeared especially forced. In fact, she seemed as if she might break down crying at any moment.

  “Are you well, Mrs. Gerrard?” Callie couldn’t believe she felt sympathy for the woman, given how she had treated her, but she had been kind to her once upon a time. If not for Mrs. Gerrard, Callie might have ended up at The Red Petticoat long before she had met Lawrence. She might not have fallen in love with Lawrence, or met him at all, under such different circumstances.

  “Yes, dear, I am fine. Like I said, I must get going.” Mrs. Gerrard stepped out of Callie’s path and started walking away. “Congratulations on your marriage to the preacher.”

  “Th-thank you.” Callie stood frozen for several moments as she contemplated what had just happened. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mrs. Gerrard. The woman’s husband was a scoundrel and a liar. According to Madame Jewel, he used to frequent The Red Petticoat as well, proof that he’d been an unfaithful husband long before he’d attempted to have his way with Callie.

  Well, she didn’t have time to think about such matters now. Callie had a wedding to get to. She pushed all thoughts of the Gerrards aside and headed for the bridge. She welcomed the cool breeze that drifted across the water. She smiled at the young boys who were fishing over the side of the bridge. There were other boys holding fishing poles scattered on the river bank as well.

  Callie hoped one day she had sons with Lawrence. Daughters too. Would they still be living in Culpepper when their children were old enough to go fishing? Callie didn’t know, but not knowing didn’t scare her. She knew one thing for certain—she loved Lawrence and he loved her in return. Wherever they made their home, they would be together. They would make it work.

  She found Lawrence waiting in their picnic spot. A well-dressed man who emanated authority stood next to him, presumably the circuit judge. Laughter and voices sounded behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Opal, Madame Jewel, Gabriel, and Nettie scurrying toward her. She gave them a smile and then returned her focus to Lawrence. She came to stand in front of him, her heart racing faster and faster.

  This was really happening. She was about to become Lawrence Black’s wife. Joy abounded within her.

  “You look beautiful.” He took her hands in his.

  She flushed. “I look the same as when you saw me an hour ago. I’m even wearing the same dress.”

&nbs
p; “It doesn’t matter.” His eyes gleamed with warmth and adoration. “You still look beautiful.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  “Shall we get started?” The judge asked. He stepped forward with his hands clasped behind his back. “I have two more weddings to officiate today.”

  “Yes, please,” Lawrence replied, not taking his gaze off Callie.

  She stared up at him with tears burning in her eyes. Her cheeks also hurt from smiling so much. She almost laughed at the realization. She couldn’t remember the last time her cheeks had ached from too much smiling. She took it as another good omen for their marriage.

  A light breeze ruffled her skirts and her hair, blowing her long curls about her shoulders. Her friends from The Red Petticoat stood nearby, and a few curious boys stood on their tiptoes further down the river, fishing poles still in hand. The noon sun beamed down upon them, highlighting a few strands of gray in Lawrence’s otherwise black hair that she hadn’t noticed before. Lord, he had never looked so handsome.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The circuit judge had them married in a few short minutes. Lawrence vowed to love, honor, and cherish Callie, and in return she vowed that she would love, honor, and obey him. She meant every word of her vows, and her soul sang with the knowledge that he meant every word as well.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Mr. Black.”

  And kiss her he did. Lawrence cupped her face and delved his tongue deep in her mouth, exploring her and taking command with a possessiveness that made an ache pulse between her thighs. Her friends clapped and cheered. Opal, of course, cheered the loudest.

  “I can’t wait to get you alone, Mrs. Black,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Warmth pulsed harder in her nether region and a shiver coursed down her back. Her face felt flushed and her breaths came rapid and shallow. The sound of her friends clapping and the clattering of hooves as travelers rode over the bridge faded as she stared into her husband’s beautiful dark eyes. She grinned at him and rather impishly said, “I can’t wait to get you alone either, Mr. Black.”