by Annie Lane
Alice felt the nerves flutter around inside her stomach again, like a swarm of bees had entered her body and were now fighting to find their way out. She’d never met a gentleman’s mother before, not in the official sense at least, and she wasn’t quite sure what to say.
But she didn’t get the chance to say anything, before Louise stepped forward and folded her arms. “If you’re looking for money, we ain’t got none to spare so you might as well just turn—”
Gabe groaned so loudly it drowned out the rest of her words.
He threw his head back and ran his fingers through his messy curls. His face turned red and the thick vein at his temple pulsed at double speed. Despair formed in the pit of his stomach and he momentarily lost the power of clear and concise thought, so instead of saying something he might later regret, he simply took Alice’s hand again and led her toward the waiting horse and cart.
Louise was right on their tail. “And if you’re looking for a place to freeload, then you better look somewhere else. My son’s worked far too hard to throw it all away on … on a…”
Alice blinked.
That was the final straw. She was in absolutely no state to be taking rudeness from a complete stranger. She snatched her hand away and spun around.
“On a … what, Mrs. Calhoun? Please finish that sentence.” Alice raised one finger, letting it linger in the air a moment. And then, as the woman struggled for more insults, Alice continued. “Before you go on, I’ll have you know I’m not some freeloader looking for a place to stay. I’m an educated, intelligent young woman and most certainly not after your son’s money. I’m not after anyone’s money as a matter of fact. As far as I’m concerned, money is the root of all evil and I don’t care one little bit if I never see another dollar in my entire life. I’ve worked hard, goodness knows I’ve worked harder than most, and yes … unfortunately both my parents are dead, and yes … I’ve seen things no one should ever have to see, and yes … I have nothing to call my very own right now, but I’m hoping that might all change once I’ve had a chance to establish myself. I plan on looking for work as soon as possible. So unless you’re in a position to offer me a job, then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself.”
Louise felt like the wind had been knocked clean out of her.
“And one more thing,” said Alice, hoping she didn’t start crying right there on the street as she fished around in her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. “I didn’t spend a single penny of the money Gabe sent me, so please feel free to take it back and do with it as you please. I never asked for it and I don’t intend keeping it.”
Gabe couldn’t believe what was happening.
Apparently he had a firecracker on his hands.
He kinda liked the idea.
“Come on, Ma. That’s hardly fair,” he said, shooting Louise an ominous look. He grabbed the roll of dollar bills from Alice’s clenched fist and shoved it deep inside her purse. “Alice doesn’t need to explain herself to you or anyone else. And she won’t be returning this money under any circumstance.”
While there was a small part of Alice that took great pleasure in the fact Gabe jumped so quickly to her defense, she also felt a sudden pang of remorse.
She turned to face Louise. And while she was at an advantage height-wise, she was at least four dress sizes too small to effectively defend herself if Louise decided to take a swing. “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Calhoun, but I honestly don’t mean your family any harm. You can trust me on that.”
“Trust must be earned, young lady,” snapped Louise.
Alice, it must be said, knew only too well what it felt like to have life turn topsy-turvy, and she suddenly sympathized with the woman. She had hoped the union would go a little smoother and decided to bring calm to the situation before it was beyond repair.
She wasn’t sure how, but she would give it her best shot.
“Oh, I couldn’t agree with you more, Mrs. Calhoun. If I learned anything from my mother it was that very thing indeed.” She sighed then, for dramatic effect if nothing else. “I sure do miss her terribly, being that she died while I was still only a girl. I could certainly use some advice on the domestic front. Your Gabe mentioned in his letter that you own a diner. It seems I can’t cook a meatball to save myself. Do you think you might find the time to teach me?”
Louise stared back at Alice.
She might not be the smartest woman in town, but she was certainly no dummy either and she couldn’t help but feeling like Alice had just used every trick in the book to get under her skin. If the truth be told, she was a little intimidated by the girl’s all-knowing confidence. But she sure wasn’t about to let Alice see that.
She finally nodded. “We’ll see … now let’s get going, Gabe. This sunshine won’t last forever.”
Alice got the feeling no truer words had ever been spoken.
Chapter 14
The trip back to Conrad was sluggish … what with the once dusty roads being so slippery and the arctic winds hitting them head on. But Gabe was a forward thinker and had thankfully packed a blanket to make the journey more comfortable. Along with Alice’s fluffy gray hat planted firmly on her head, and her knees covered in the tartan throw, she was about as cozy as she could possibly be under the circumstances and she pressed her back against the hard seat, once again taking a moment to absorb the incredible scenery. The vast snow-capped mountain ranges off in the distance soared high up into the sky in a way that Alice had never laid witness to before. She was impressed.
In more ways than one.
And so, as the new couple spent the hours that followed talking and laughing and getting to know each other as well as they might, all the while conscious of the fact that they were in the company of Gabe’s mother, Alice found herself looking forward to all the wonders that Montana might offer her.
She kept a tight check of herself when the conversation steered her way, making sure not to reveal too much information about her father’s death. She didn’t need to be going into specifics after all. The less Gabe knew, the better, in fact. It was just safer that way. She meant what she had said earlier … I don’t mean your family any harm … and although Alice had only just met the man, she knew she would never forgive herself if anything happened to him because of her sordid past. For this reason, Alice kept it simple … her father died of a heart attack, which wasn’t altogether a lie.
Gabe didn’t continue to probe for information, for which Alice was surely appreciative. However, Gabe was his father’s son and it didn’t take him long to realize Alice was keeping something from him. He figured, too, she was trying her level best to disguise the slight southern ping in her voice, but no level of masquerading could disguise the twang. It was there, plain and simple.
What was she hiding? He wasn’t sure. Her childhood perhaps? What he did know for certain was just how much he disliked the uneasy feeling it caused him. And although Gabe had only just met the woman, he knew he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
“I’ve arranged to have you stay in a room above the saloon,” said Gabe as he pulled the horse over in front of a two-story building right in the middle of town and jumped from the wagon to tie a rope off against a hitching post. The ground was frozen and he couldn’t leave the animal out too long in the cold night air, but it would only take him a minute or two to see that Alice was checked in safely. “The preacher said he’ll marry us Saturday afternoon and then we’ll move your things back to the barn once the reception’s over and done with. That way we might attend church together on Sunday as a real married couple.”
“I appreciate that, thank you, Gabe.”
“They’re nothing fancy, the rooms I mean … but they’re clean and you’ll have a private washroom so you can freshen up in a hot bath. I hope you find it comfortable.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
Alice took her bag then from behind the wooden seat and placed it in her lap. She stretched out her aching back. Her m
uscles had all but seized from sitting so long and the thought of soaking in a bath for a few hours sure did sound nice.
Just then, the sound of glass scraping along a frozen ledge caught her attention and her eyes darted to the second floor. A balding man with just a few spindly strands of hair leaned out, calling to Gabe, “Good evening, Sir. The lady’s room is all but ready.”
Gabe nodded and waved back, “Thank you kindly, Mr. Fallon.”
The Fallons — Charles and Edith Fallon that is, being the sole proprietors of the Conrad Bar and Saloon — had not long taken over ownership and by good luck, good fortune or, perhaps, good management, they had somehow turned the once rowdy drinking hole into a more reputable establishment, serving hot meals most evenings and offering accommodation in the three empty rooms upstairs. The rooms had been refurbished to the highest of standards and according to the news around town, each and every one of them now had double beds with linen and coverings as nice as the fancy hotels back in the city.
Most folk in town were pleased with the changes — with the exception of the Clarkson brothers of course, who loved nothing more than a drunken brawl when they had nothing better to do. But considering they’d been banned from setting foot in the place — being for the number of chairs they’d broken over each other’s heads — it didn’t worry the Fallons one way or the other if they were pleased or not. Mr. Fallon was a quiet and decent man and insisted on keeping his patrons in much the same fashion.
“Please come in out of the cold, Ma’am,” he said, cupping his hands around his mouth to be heard. “I’ve just thrown a fresh log on the fire and the little missus is filling the bath water as we speak. Once you’re done washing up, we’ve got a nice bowl of chicken broth heating up on the stove. You must be famished?”
Meanwhile, from her position in the back of the cart, the generous offer made Louise flinch.
A flood of guilt washed through her. She hung her head in shame.
What on earth is wrong with me lately?
She hadn’t even offered the poor girl a warm bed to sleep in or a place to bathe, let alone propose she share a meal with her future in-laws. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the room. No. They had plenty of room. More room than they knew what to do with in fact. More hot water, too. More soup — more pie — more coffee — more bread — more cream.
More of everything.
Except manners?
Louise was ashamed of herself.
Alice watched her feet sink deep holes into the snow as she jumped from the side of the cart, too impatient to wait for Gabe to help her down. It probably wasn’t the most lady-like of things to do, but she was so hungry that her stomach set to rumbling like nothing else she’d ever heard before, and she couldn’t care less in that moment that her petticoats were on show.
“Good night, Gabe.”
“Good night, Miss Alice. I’m mighty glad you came to town and I guess I’ll see…”
He faltered then over his words. He had just thought of something, but wasn’t sure whether to make the offer or not. Would she think him too forward? Oh heck, when had that ever bothered him before?
So he continued, “Actually … why don’t you freshen up and rest awhile, and then once you’ve finished with your supper, I’d be mighty pleased to have you accompany me to the town meeting tonight. It’s held over there in the hall, everyone for a country mile’ll be in attendance. I’ve got a couple o’ jobs to finish off back at the workshop, but I’ll happily come by in a few hours and collect you again. Might be a good chance to introduce ya ’round. What do you say?”
Alice wanted to say … I’d rather douse myself in a gallon of kerosene and then take a flying leap toward the sun … but instead she said, “Of course, Gabe, I’d enjoy nothing more.”
Gabe nodded then, and smiled as he watched Alice turn on her heels and walk through the saloon doors. She disappeared around the corner toward the stairs and then he lost sight of her, and for a split second — just a moment in time that could only be measured by the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings — his swollen throat did some weird bobbing-up-and-down thing that he couldn’t quite explain.
Gabe shook his head, trying to clear the feeling. How was it possible?
Alice Hamilton had only just come into his life, and while he found her to be a sprinkling of so many different things — sweet and spicy, light and mysterious, happy and sad and most definitely fire and ice — watching her walk away from him filled his entire being with an overwhelming sense of … of what?
Was he already missing her?
Chapter 15
Louise stormed up the stairs and then proceeded to stomp about the house with all the grace of a lead-footed elephant inside a porcelain store. The walls shook and the pots and pans gathered there in the sink clanged and clunked together, making so much of a hullabaloo that Henry, his thumb rolled into a bandage, put his spoon down and wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
“You sure everything went alright?” he asked, for the third time.
Louise nodded, and mumbled absently. “Yes, Henry.”
“I take it the bride arrived safely then?”
“Yes, Henry.”
“You know, I got to thinkin’ just the other day that perhaps we should offer the girl use of Grandma Calhoun’s wedding dress for the ceremony. It’s just been sittin’ up in the attic all these years, might be time to put it to good use. Yes?”
“Yes, Henry.”
Henry watched his wife a while longer, speculatively. He finally shook his head and scoffed, then scraped his seat back against the floor as he stood to his feet. Whatever it was that had Louise so preoccupied was beyond him. She just wasn’t herself. Her usual spritely character was suddenly gone, and in its place was a glum and sorrowful individual.
She obviously wasn’t listening to him. “And perhaps we should smear it in cow dung to help get rid of the musty smell?”
“Yes, Henr—”
Louise snapped out of her sullen fog and spun around. She tossed the dishcloth she held in her hand square at her husband’s head. She got him a beauty too. He caught it with a small grin on his face — her annoyance slightly comical to his own unusual way of thinking — and then he moved to the other side of the kitchen so he could wrap his arms around his wife’s waist.
“Please talk to me, my love. Tell me everything that happened today.”
“Like what?”
“What’s the little lady look like for starters? Is she all Gabe made her out to be? Are we going to have striking grandbabies?”
Louise shrugged. “I suppose so.”
“And…?” he probed.
“And … nothing, there’s not much more to tell. Yes, she’s beautiful, I sure can’t argue with that but she’s certainly going to be one to watch. She’s got herself a lively personality. Near bit my head off when I simply expressed my thoughts.” Louise felt her shoulders slump and her eyes brim with moisture. “I can hardly blame her though, Henry. I hate to admit it, but there’s a slight possibility that I may have been…” Louise cringed then, like the very word caused a sour taste to form in her mouth. “I may very well have been wrong about her.”
Not for lack of better judgment, Henry then laughed the heartiest of laughs, for which he would soon regret, as Louise burst into a flood of tears again and raced down the hall toward their bedroom.
Henry chased after her this time and watched with confusion as his wife wept into her pillow. “I’m sorry, Louise, please forgive me? You know I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, crawling up onto the bed so he could hold her close in his arms. He snuggled in beside her and wiped away her tears. “Please tell me what’s really been upsetting you?”
Just as she was about to reply, another flood of tears rushed down her face and Henry kept still then, knowing when to keep quiet. He simply held his wife a little tighter, all the while reassuring her as best he could, stroking her hair and patting her cheek and whispering words that told her plain
and clear just how dearly he loved her.
“I … I know you do,” Louise sniffed, slowly rolling in toward him. “I’ve never doubted that for a moment in our entire marriage, but I just feel so…”
“What is it, Louise?”
“I feel so terribly lost. I don’t know where I fit in anymore. I’ve done nothing but nurture and cherish this family with every ounce of what I have in here…” She held her hand over her heart and patted her blouse. “But lately everything feels different. I don’t know what it is. It just seems like no one needs me anymore. Not you, not Junior … and certainly not Gabriel. I’ve felt about as useful as a snowball with a handle these last few weeks.”
“That’s simply not true, Louise.”
“As your son so eloquently pointed out, he’s a grown man now. He’s so stubbornly independent. I don’t know where I went wrong.”
“Our son is the way he is, strong and willful and passionate, because we did the job God gave us to do from the day he was born, and we raised him to be a fine, upstanding citizen. You never went wrong, my beautiful wife. You did everything just right. God handpicked you to be the mother of that boy and no finer job could be done by you or any other woman. Not a single day goes by that I don’t count my lucky stars you are my wife.”
Louise felt her steely resolve gradually wither away until there was nothing left but pure affection for the only man she had ever loved. “You’re a sentimental ol’ sap, you know that?”
Henry smiled then and brought his lips to the two remaining tears left on his wife’s cheek, kissing them away. When there were no more to be found he said, “I think what we’re dealing with here is a classic case of the momma bird grieving her empty nest. From what I can tell, this whole squabble with Gabe has nothing to do with the bride at all, and absolutely everything to do with you tryin’ to find your place in this world.”
“What are you saying?” Louise gasped. “That I should just welcome her with open arms? You should have heard her today telling Gabe how much she enjoys chamomile tea … talked about it like it’s the nectar of the Gods.”