by Trinity Ford
…
The day of the dance and auction, Della woke up early and arrived at the hall, right around the same time Millie and Annabelle got there. The rest of the women would be arriving later in the day, but the three of them had to work hand in hand with the coordinators to ensure everything was set up properly.
They had each brought their gowns for the event and Annabelle promised to have her very best toiletries and a smattering of makeup on hand for them to use. Della had slept in rag curlers the night before, ensuring her locks would maintain their shape throughout the day.
When all was said and done, the hall looked incredible. It was an upscale country theme, but elegant as it could be in one area of the auction hall, located at the Stockyards. Other tables with many of the auction items were placed along the edge of the room. Those items that were too large or complicated to bring were listed on paper, attached to a board. Guests could write their names and bid just below the item. The best price would win at the end of the event.
When nightfall arrived, guests began showing up. The men donned their best attire, worn with the usual cowboy hats and boots that had been spiffed up with spit and polish. They were a handsome group. The women looked amazing in their best finery, some that Della knew came from Beatrice’s shop. She wagered that Beatrice was doing a brisk business because of all of the events taking place in town. Della was thrilled to notice competition for the items was furious and people were crowding around the tables to decide what they wanted to spend their money on. The event was going to be a huge success.
Della couldn’t keep her eyes off the door. Hank would be there any minute now, and it was the first time they would be making a public appearance together at a formal social event as a couple. Her heart was beating wildly and she knew her face was flushed.
“I see Lee,” Annabelle said, excusing herself from the group to greet her husband.
“Well I wish John and Hank would hurry up and get here,” Millie complained. “You’re lucky Hank’s not in law enforcement. I never know what time my husband will show up. All depends on what’s going on in the Acre and whether or not it’s something he can leave up to the marshal. I hope they clean that place up soon.”
Della anxiously glanced at the door again. Where is he? she imagined the worst, worried that something may have happened on the way. What if his wagon broke a wheel? she continued, lost in her grim thoughts. Enough, Della! she chastened herself as she shook the thought out of her mind and tried to focus on watching the couples glide across the dance floor. She couldn’t wait to be in Hank’s arms, held close to him as he took the lead. Neither John nor Hank was there during the early moments of the dance. Both women sighed and tried to make the best of it, but Della was frantic with worry. It had to be something horrible to make Hank late for this event that they had both looked forward to so much. This time, Della was sure that her what if mind wasn’t getting the best of her. Something was wrong. She felt it in her very soul.
Chapter 18
Hank took a deep breath as he straightened his tie and looked himself over in the mirror. Tonight was the night. He knew Della loved him and he knew he was ready to commit to her forever. Hank had no way of asking Della’s father for her hand in marriage, but he did have a word with Roy—the closest thing to a father Della had out on the frontier.
“I know you don’t technically have the authority to give me your blessing, Roy,” Hank had said one day when they met to discuss business at the General Store. “But I figure if you can see in me the qualities that you feel would be good for Della—after all I’ve done in the past—then I’ll know it’s the right thing to do.”
“Son,” Roy said. “If you was my own child, I couldn’t be prouder of the kind of man you turned out to be. All young people go through times when they act up and cause a stir. It’s what’s in the heart that matters, and as long as you love Della and plan to do good by her, you have my blessing.”
It was that very day that Hank had gone to buy the most beautiful engagement ring his money could buy—a simple love knot he knew Della would cherish because it symbolized eternity. There was a large diamond in the center of the love knot and the rope settings forming the knot were studded with smaller diamonds as was the band that would encircle her finger. The two ropes settings on the ring intertwined around the large diamond, which was as pure and flawless as Della herself.
He checked to make sure the ring was in the inner pocket of his jacket. Hank was already running late, mainly because he was trying to make sure everything was perfect. His servants had been instructed to create a romantic setting at the pond. He wanted a fire and also candles lighting the area around the pond and some to highlight the little waterfall. “A fairyland….” was how Hank described the setting to his trusted staff, who was delighted to see their boss finally turning his life around. After all Della had been through, Hank wanted her to remember this night forever.
“Remember,” Hank said to his groundskeeper, Will, “We’ll be back any time between an hour from now till sometime later. I want everything in place. Don’t let the fire die out.” Just as he headed to the front door, someone knocked on it.
Will nodded and grinned at his boss’s excitement. “Will do, boss. Will do. Now don’t you worry about a thing.”
Just as Hank headed to the front door, there was a frantic knock.
Will opened the door to find a young boy standing there, out of breath. “Hank home?” the young boy said.
“Billy?” Hank said, pulling the door open wider. “What’s wrong?”
“Sheriff sent me,” Billy said. “Said to tell you Bertie’s waiting for you at Kitty’s and needs help. Whoever was supposed to do it fell through. Said to tell you it’s urgent and you’re the only one he can trust. The Acre’s chock full of half-wits tonight and he’s got his hands full.”
Hank knew immediately what it was about. He and Sheriff Lockhart had been working with one of Kitty’s girls, Bertie, to relocate her to East Texas. Everything had been arranged and it had to be now. He would just have to explain it to Della later. Surely she would admire his efforts to save the life of this girl and help her get to better circumstances. And when he returned, he would propose to her with a romantic, candlelight dinner at his estate. He was sure Della would understand.
“Shut it down,” Hank said to Will, knowing that he would take care of everything without his explaining. Hank rushed out the door, then checked to make sure he had both six shooters strapped into his vest. He was always prepared, but in his frazzled state of mind, he wanted to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything that would ruin the plan or put them in danger.
Billy rode off ahead, while Hank headed towards Hell’s Half Acre. He hadn’t had time to pack for the trip, but he’d pick up some supplies along the way, and he always carried a few things in his carriage. The Acre was packed that night. Besides the regular cowboys who always hung around, the freight wagon groups from Fort Sill, Oklahoma had piled in as well. Sheriff Lockhart generally called upon a few local citizens to be sworn in on a whim, giving them full power of the law to help him deal with the influx.
Hank pulled up to Kitty’s and jumped out, tethering his horses to the post. There were the usual fistfights in the street—too many for the sheriff to bother himself with—and half-dressed women hanging on to men who were usually turning up a bottle of liquor to their mouths. Hank walked through the door and scanned the room for Bertie. “Where is she?” Hank demanded to know when Kitty sauntered up next to him wearing a badly stained dress and a big grin that showed her missing teeth.
“Sugar, I got plenty of girls ‘round here for you,” Kitty slurred. “Why don’t you, for once, take part in what my business has to offer, ‘stead of sittin’ ‘round here handing out money and not getting anything in return?”
“No thanks,” Hank said, disgusted. “Tell me where Bertie is.”
“She’s up in her room,” Kitty said. Hank started to go up the stairs when Kitty pulled
at his jacket. “Not unless you pay the house, hon.” She held her hand out, expecting money even though Kitty knew he was going up to help Bertie and nothing else.
Hank took a roll of bills out of his pocket and tossed one at Kitty. He bounded up the stairs and opened the first door on the left. Luckily, it happened to be the room Bertie was in. Hank had no desire to witness the goings on inside the walls of the brothel. Bertie sat at the edge of her bed, crying. Her head was down and her shoulders hunched forward, making her appear even smaller than she already was. “Bertie?” Hank asked. “Ready to get out of here and start over?”
“She’ll never let me leave,” Bertie cried, looking up at Hank and revealing a busted lip and small cut above her eye.
He grabbed a bag and handed it to the girl. “We’re not asking,” he said. “Get anything you want to take and let’s go, now!” Bertie rushed around the room gathering a few meager belongings. When she was finished, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him as he descended the stairs.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kitty said, a gorilla of a man standing directly behind her. Hank had seen this man before. He was Kitty’s strong arm if she had any trouble in the house. He was a bully and treated the girls horribly. “You can’t just run off with my property. She owes me. She owes me big time.”
Hank knew if it came down to it, he could leave without paying. But with Kitty’s goon in house, it might result in more than a simple brawl, and he couldn’t afford to be sent to the calaboose if things turned violent. “How much?” Hank asked.
“Two hundred dollars,” Kitty said, stringing each word out for emphasis.
Hank glared at Kitty, leaving no doubt with his look what he thought of her. There was no way Bertie had racked up a bill that high, but he’d pay it, just to get a move on. He took out his roll of money and handed her the $200.
“Three,” Kitty said, demanding more before they left.
Hank leaned in close to Kitty’s face. “I’ll give you one hundred more,” he seethed. “But try me again and not only will you not get one penny, but I’ll use the weight of my influence in this town and every dime I own to crush you and put you out of business altogether.”
Kitty laughed and turned around, moving out of Hank’s way and calling on her goon to do the same. Hank grabbed Bertie’s hand and pulled her along with him, hurriedly helping her into the carriage and crossing town, heading east. As they veered right onto Main Street, Hank could see flames rising up from the calaboose. He quickened the pace of the horses and arrived in time to see the prisoners scattering all over the neighborhood, with the sheriff and his men trying to corral them all. He jumped down and tied up the horses, rushing over to the scene with guns drawn.
“Hank?” Sheriff Lockhart hollered from his left. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you!” Hank said, confused by the obvious question.
“You’ve got to get Bertie out of here,” the sheriff said. “They’re expecting her. Don’t worry about this. We’ve got it under control.”
It didn’t look under control to Hank, but the sheriff was right. He couldn’t just leave Bertie sitting in the carriage while he fought with criminals that were crawling all over the place. It wasn’t safe for her to be there. “Tell Della,” Hank yelled to the sheriff. Lockhart nodded quickly as he ran off to chase another escapee that was getting away. It wasn’t the first time prisoners had broken out of there, but it was the first time they’d burned it to the ground.
Hank jumped back into the carriage and headed toward east Texas, where he’d be meeting one of his contacts who ran a canning factory in Pine Springs, Texas. He’d said Bertie could live at the orchard and work there for him until she got on her feet. Bertie was one of the Acre girls who never intended to succumb to a life of sin, but circumstances and money-grubbing people she met along the way lured her in.
As their carriage got further from the glow of the city and the sounds of chaos, Hank glanced over at Bertie to see her quietly crying in the dark.
“You’re safe now, you know,” Hank said, handing her a handkerchief.
Bertie took it from his hand and blotted the tears staining her face. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I don’t have money to pay you back for what you did for me back there,” she said. “But I can pay you in other ways.” Bertie’s self-esteem was so low that she didn’t think she was worth anyone helping her unless she paid for it. He felt tremendously sorry for her.
Hank furrowed his brow. “Bertie,” he said. “You know what I want? I want you to look back toward Fort Worth. Go on. Do it right now.”
Bertie looked back toward the little prairie town where she’d made her way after the death of her parents and found Kitty, willing to give her a place to stay—but at a price Bertie could never have guessed. “What am I looking for?” she asked.
“You’re saying goodbye,” Hank said. “You’re saying goodbye to the Bertie you’ve been up ‘til now—the woman who had no choice but to find a way to survive. The woman who never has to do that again—not with me…not with anyone.”
Fresh tears flooded Bertie’s eyes and rolled down her face in torrents as she nodded at Hank in what could be nothing other than deep appreciation. Hank knew all about starting over—how hard, and yet how wonderful it could be. He only hoped Della could see the importance of what he and Sheriff Lockhart were doing. Maybe she would even join him after they were married—help him come up with ideas to clean up the town once and for all. He smiled thinking about the two of them working side-by-side together to build their roots together. He was ready. Finally and completely…ready.
Chapter 19
As the auction wound down for the night, Della’s worry about Hank swelled. She couldn’t enjoy the festivities because all of her focus was on what may have happened to the man she loved.
“Ever find out what happened to Hank?” Millie asked, gathering her reticule and other belongings. “I know my husband was caught up in a breakout at the calaboose. Whole thing burned down!”
“Was Hank there?” Della asked quickly, hoping for an explanation, but worried he may have gotten injured again.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so,” Millie said. “Not from what I’ve heard, anyway.”
“Heard about what?” Hannah said, approaching the group to say goodnight.
“Where Hank was tonight,” Millie explained.
“Oh…” Hannah said, looking down and away.
“What is it, Hannah?” Della asked. “Do you know something?”
“I really shouldn’t say,” Hannah said, a look of dread coming over her.
“Hannah, please tell me,” Della begged. “I’ve been sick with worry all night.”
“Oh, Della,” Hannah said. “I really hate to be the one to tell you this. As Samuel and I were making our way here tonight, we saw Hank…”
“And?” Della said, demanding to know the rest.
“He was…he was coming out of an establishment in the Acre,” Hannah said, obviously hoping to let that be the end of it.
“Which establishment?” Della asked.
“Kitty’s,” Hannah said in a whisper. “And he wasn’t alone.”
“Oh, Della, I’m so sorry,” Millie said, placing her hand gently on Della’s arm.
Della stood there trembling. A mix of rage and sorrow, she could feel the heat rising to her face and the tears coming to the surface. “I have to go,” she said, hurrying out of the auction hall and out to her carriage. She grabbed the reins and left town as fast as the horses would carry her. The wind was so strong on the prairie that Della’s carriage rocked back and forth—warning her to take caution. She could hear the wind howling across the prairie grass and through the Mesquite trees over the sound of the horses’ hooves. It was like that out here on the prairie sometimes—but tonight, it was dark with the new moon and there were no stars to give relief from the gloomy sky. Tears blinded Della’s eyes, dried by the wind as soon as they fell onto her
cheeks. She was glad the horses knew the way home as she wasn’t much help in leading them.
“He promised me,” Della cried out loud. “Promised me!” She shook her head in disbelief and disgust. Her plans washed away in the blink of an eye—all because she’d been foolish enough to take a risk on someone she knew wasn’t capable of committing to her. She should have listened to Kitty when she warned her a week ago. Maybe Hank had gotten spooked—or like Kitty said, bored of her.
Della pulled in to the barn area and secured the horses. She quietly snuck into the room she shared with Mary and crawled into bed, sobbing into her pillow until she could no longer keep her eyes open.
…
Della was unusually quiet the next day. She pretended she was sick and needed to sleep, skipping church because the humiliation was just too strong. She couldn’t be around everyone asking questions. She just wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. Della felt destroyed…raw…and she had a tough decision to make that would take time, but she didn’t want to wait too long.
“Sorry you missed church,” Mary said, later that afternoon.
“Me too,” Della lied.
“Mr. Hensley wasn’t there,” Mary added, assuming Della would want to know. “Lots of people were missing because of the calaboose burning down. Every one of those outlaws got loose! You don’t think they’ll pose any danger to us, do you, Della?”
“No,” Della said, trying not to be short with Mary but not wanting to talk, either.
“Well, they caught some of them anyway,” Mary said, continuing the conversation on her own. “Millie said the sheriff’s taking them up to Grayson County. The sheriff up there said he’d keep them ‘til they build a new calaboose here. Did Mr. Hensley go with them?”
“No,” Della said, turned away from Mary and curling up into her blankets. “I’m going to get some sleep, Mary. I’d rather not talk right now.”
Della stayed in bed sulking and trying to figure out her next move the rest of the day and late into the night. She wasn’t sure how long Roy intended to allow her to stay, considering she was meant to be married off by now. Della hated intruding on their generosity, but she had nowhere else to go and she’d been foolish enough to spend most of her money on pretty dresses she thought would impress Hank. Hadn’t saved a cent! So much for her careful planning.