When the implication of that thought hit him, he almost choked on a mouthful of beans.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Almost two weeks later, Camille skimmed some of the out-of-state newspapers for fillers to take up the extra space. They didn’t need to use as many of them as they had in the past, but customers actually complained about the cut. Folks liked those little tidbits gleaned from across the country.
When the door opened, she looked up, smiling as Ty came into the Gazette office. “Good afternoon. What brings you by?”
“Why, I wanted to see your smile, of course.” He glanced at the two men setting type and laying out ads. “What are you doing?”
“Finding bits to fill in small spaces. We’re also going to make a short column of some of them.”
“Like the one last week that said all goods manufactured in the New Jersey state prison had to be stamped as being made there?”
“That’s right. I suppose some people wouldn’t want to buy things made in a prison.”
“It wouldn’t bother you?”
“Not if it was good quality. Here’s one: ‘The great Los Angeles meteor has been dug up and is scientifically described as about the size of a Saratoga trunk.’”
Ty laughed and turned slightly, relaxing against the counter. “That sounds like a scientific description I’d come up with. Any more?”
“Dakota has a pretty fair chance of becoming the thirty-ninth star in the flag.”
“Every part of the country should be a state, not a territory.”
“Here’s one from overseas. ‘Eight hundred vagrants, a score of them men whose ages ranged from ninety to ninety-nine years, were arrested in a single week toward the close of last month in Paris. Many asserted that they had not slept on a bed for thirty years.’”
“So that’s the secret to a long life, but not a very comfortable one.” Ty pulled a sheet of paper from his coat pocket. “I do have some business to attend to. Need to change my ad.”
Camille pretended to be shocked. “Changing it twice in one month? My goodness.”
“You showed me the error of my ways. Here’s the list. Y’all can draw up the ad however you see fit.”
She took the paper with a grin. “You are mellowing out, aren’t you?”
“I’m trying.”
“But it’s not easy when you’re used to being in charge. Let me see what wonderful things you have in stock. ‘Two thousand yards lawn, styles good, colors warranted at seven cents a yard.’ I’ll have to come see what I can find. ‘Combination suits, ten beautiful styles, all wool. Twenty-five shades handsome brocade satins at sixty cents. Fifteen styles ladies’ linen and lace collars.’”
She laid the sheet on the counter, skimming her finger over the list. “‘Gent’s linen collars. Gent’s summer merino undershirts. Lenolian matting, both American and English. Ten pieces Brussels carpet, styles entirely new.’ You did get in a large shipment. This will make a good ad, but we may have to increase the size.”
“Suits me.”
“You are so accommodating.”
“I like to make you happy,” he said softly.
Camille’s heart skipped a beat at the warmth and tenderness in his eyes. “You do. I’ve never been happier.”
A light cough drew her attention to the layout man. “I have Fuller’s ad done, Miss Dupree, if you want to take it over for final approval.”
“Thank you. I’ll take care of it right away.”
“I need to get moving, too,” said Ty. “I have to sort out some things for the city council meeting tonight. Wish I could cancel it. I’d rather spend the evening with you.”
“With Nola out of town?” Camille had seen her off on the train that morning for a trip to visit her sister in Dallas for a few days. Nola had been worried about her with all the flooding.
Ty glanced past her into the office where Mr. Hill was working on an article. Shifting so his back was to the other men, his gaze dropped to her mouth. “It should be warm enough to sit out on the porch swing tonight,” he said softly. “I don’t think it would be too improper for me to call as long as we stayed outside where folks could see us.”
“If it’s cool I could wear a shawl.”
He leaned a little closer, whispering, “I’ll keep you warm.”
She caught her breath, longing to be alone with him. “What about the neighbors?”
“It gets dark early.”
She picked up the list and fanned her face, making him laugh. “Go to your meeting. It’s safer for both of us.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His face drooped into a hound-dog sad expression. “But not nearly as much fun.”
“I know.” She leaned closer, too, turning so only he could see her face and hear her whispered words. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. If we didn’t have an audience, I’d kiss you until your legs turned to jelly.”
Just the thought of it made her knees weak. “They already are.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “I’ll come by after the meeting. We’ll stay on the porch. That won’t give the neighbors too much to talk about.”
“All right.” She wondered if she’d be able to do a speck of work the rest of the day.
After he bade the others goodbye and left, Camille went into the inner office for her hat. She smiled at Mr. Hill when he looked up from his work. “Finished?
“Yes. And so am I. I think I’ll take the rest of the day off.” He looked weary.
“Are you feeling ill?”
“No, but I am tired. Too much excitement this last week. I’m going home and sleep for a while.”
“There’s no need for you to come in tomorrow. That article is the last one we need for the paper this week. There is a city council meeting tonight, so I’ll save some space for the report.” She frowned in concern. “Why don’t you stop by the doctor’s on the way home?”
“Won’t do any good. He’ll tell me the same thing he has before. I already have all the medicine and tonics that I need.” Mr. Hill stood and slowly slipped on his jacket. “I’ll rest easy knowing you’re overseeing things here. I may not come back to work until next week.”
“We’ll manage. If I have a problem or a question, I’ll come see you. Tell your wife hello for me.”
“I will. You’re a good partner, Miss Dupree,” he said with a smile. “Hope you stay with it when you and Ty get hitched.”
Blushing, she laughed. “I don’t have any plans to quit anytime soon. As for getting hitched, we’ll have to see how that goes. He hasn’t mentioned it yet.”
“All in good time.” Mr. Hill put on his hat and left the office slowly.
Carrying her hat, Camille went to the office door. “Brian, would you keep an eye on Mr. Hill? See that he makes it home all right?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The young man hopped up, quickly taking off the apron that protected his clothing from the ink. “I’ll catch up with him.”
“Thank you.” Camille pinned her hat in place. Taking the ad for Fuller’s, she quickly walked the few blocks to the grocery store. “Good afternoon, Mr. Fuller. Would you care to look over your ad?”
The grocer nodded and gave some instructions to one of the clerks, then turned his attention to Camille with a friendly smile. “You appear to be in good spirits today.”
“It’s a warm, sunny day. Not a drop of rain in sight.”
Mr. Fuller chuckled and took the ad from her. “Hasn’t been any rain in sight for a couple of weeks. I’m of a mind that the mayor has something to do with the sparkle in your eyes.”
“You could be right.” Camille smiled and left it at that.
The grocer checked the ad, going over it carefully. “Don’t see any mistakes. As long as everything I ordered from Fort Worth comes in on Thursday, business should be good.”
“At least the trains are running pretty much on schedule now.”
“Finally.” He handed the ad sheet back to her. “Thought they never would get back to normal
.”
“I suppose they had to repair the tracks that were flooded.”
“Shouldn’t have taken this long. Wouldn’t surprise me if they decide to hike the shipping rates to make us pay for it.”
“Well, they shouldn’t. Freight is expensive enough already. Thank you for your business, Mr. Fuller.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you, ma’am. Business has picked up since I started advertising the weekly specials. You’re an astute young lady.”
“I simply know how I like to shop, and I think many women are the same. We like bargains. Have a good day.”
“You, too, Miss Dupree. Give my best to Mrs. Simpson when she comes back from Dallas.”
“I will.” She left the store, thinking how easily everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business. It was one trait of living in a small town that she didn’t like. But she supposed she’d better get used to it. She stopped for a few minutes to watch the men Ty had hired to clean up the mess from the fire. He had one crew working on the livery and another hauling away the debris from the tailor shop.
On the way back to the Gazette, she felt a prickling of unease across the nape of her neck. It wasn’t merely the feeling that someone was watching her. That happened every day. But this time she sensed danger. She scanned the street but could see nothing to cause it. Though she couldn’t explain it, she couldn’t shake the foreboding that settled over her.
Hurrying back to the office, she gave Brian the ad. She didn’t bother to remove her hat, since it was almost time to go home. She read the article Mr. Hill had written, first for content, then again to study how he put the whole thing together. He was a very good writer, with the ability to make the reader question and ponder. Her style was very different from his, but she had learned a great deal from him.
She considered dropping by his house on the way home to see how he was feeling, but decided against it. He didn’t need her interrupting his rest.
When she arrived at Nola’s, Hester had a pot of stew waiting. They ate, chatting about the day’s happenings.
“Are you sure you want me to take the next few days off?” asked Hester as she cleared the table.
“Yes. Unless there is something you specifically want to do around here while Nola is gone.”
Hester laughed as she filled the dishpan with hot water. “Miss Nola likes to oversee things. She wouldn’t like it much if I started any major cleaning without her here.”
“Then enjoy a few days of leisure. I’m no authority on housework, but I assume it will soon be time for spring cleaning.” Camille’s mother had been keen on turning everything upside down and inside out in the springtime. Though her mother hadn’t done any of the cleaning herself, she had run the campaign with the precision of an army general.
“We don’t usually start that until April. Miss Nola likes to wait until it’s warm enough to air out all the quilts and pack them away. I’ll enjoy some time to myself. Give me a chance to tidy up my own house and sew up a new set of kitchen curtains.”
Hester finished the dishes while Camille read the daily Fort Worth Gazette. They had an agreement with them to use some of their articles, particularly ones dealing with the state legislature and happenings in Austin. The editor of the Fort Worth paper was a staunch supporter of the open range and free grass. Since local opinion was mixed on the subject, Mr. Hill and Camille were careful about which articles they put in their paper. They sometimes included stories about West Texas, such as the one she’d spotted the week before about laying out the streets in the new town of Midland.
“I’m finished, Miss Dupree. Let me know if you need anything before Saturday.” Hester hung her apron up on a peg on the hat rack by the back door.
“I will. Relax a bit while you’re off.”
“That’s not in my nature, I’m afraid. Though I do have a new book to read. Maybe I’ll spend a little extra time with that.”
After the housekeeper left, Camille went upstairs and laid out her clothes for the next day. She had gotten into the habit because she still moved rather slowly in the mornings. “I should have gone to see Bonnie tonight instead of tomorrow night.” Though she doubted her friend would mind if she dropped by unexpectedly, she decided against it. I’d hate to be there if Ty’s meeting ends early, she thought. Picking up her Bible, she went back downstairs to read and wait for him.
She went into the living room and lit the lamp. A second after she set the chimney back into place, she heard a faint noise from behind her. Heart pounding, she spun around—and gasped at the sight of Anthony Brisbane. Tall and blond, he was as handsome and dapper as ever.
“Good evening, Angelique.” He rose smoothly with a happy smile. “The years have been gracious to you. You’ve grown even more beautiful.”
“What are you doing here?” Camille fought to control the quiver in her voice.
A slight frown creased his brow. “I came to see you, of course. I heard you’d followed Nate and Bonnie out this way.” He stopped in front of her, tracing his fingers down her arm. “I’ve missed you, my sweet.”
She shifted away from his touch. “I’m not your anything, Anthony. Except a memory.”
“A pleasant one, for the most part. I treated you badly, Angel. I regret that. No one has ever made me as happy as you. I was a fool to walk out on you and stupid to throw away your love.” He closed his hand lightly around her upper arm. “I’d like to regain what we lost.”
Camille twisted out of his grip and stepped away. “There is nothing to regain. You took advantage of my fear and grief over my father’s death. You never loved me. You only wanted a roll in the hay and the notoriety that came from being the man who won the Angel’s interest.”
“Not merely interest. You loved me passionately.”
“I never loved you. I thought I did, and you broke my heart because of it. But now I know what true love is.” She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze defiantly. “What we shared was lust and a trifling affection. Nothing more.”
“I cared for you.” His face twisted in anger.
“You didn’t care enough to make me your wife. You shamed me, made me the brunt of gossip and scorn.”
He shrugged as if her hurt didn’t matter. “You joined me willingly. People talked about you all the time anyway.”
“It wasn’t the same. It was one thing to be a gambler. Quite another to be a mistress.” She took a deep breath, silently asking God to help her, to guide her. “I have a new life here, Anthony. A respectable one.”
“Doing what?”
“I’m part owner of the local newspaper.”
He snorted in disbelief. “A leopard can’t change its spots, Angel. You’re a born gambler. Gambling is in your blood, just like it was with your old man.”
“No, it never was. I walked away from gambling when I came here, and I’ve never once felt the urge to go back to it. I’ve discovered how nice it is when people treat me decently. I’m a new person. I’ve found Jesus, and He cleansed me from my old life. My old sins.”
“You got religion?” He laughed in her face. Then his gaze suddenly narrowed. “You said you’re in love.” Grabbing her hand, he checked her empty ring finger. “You aren’t married, so you must be sleeping with him on the sly.”
Camille shook her head in disgust. “Not everyone lives by the same low standards you do. Some men have integrity and honor. They aren’t only interested in getting a woman into bed.”
“That’s not all I’m interested in. When I came here, I was willing to marry if you insisted on it. Now, I don’t think I am,” he said sullenly.
“Good.” She started toward the door, but stopped when she heard him sit down on the couch. Coming back, she tapped her foot impatiently. “Leave, Anthony. Take the next train out of Willow Grove. East or west, it doesn’t matter. Just leave.”
“No. I have business here.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “What kind of scheme are you planning?”
He app
eared offended, but it was false. She knew him far too well to be fooled by his acting.
“I’ve gone respectable, too. I’m a representative of the Great Western Fire and Casualty Company. Since the town recently had a fire, folks who didn’t have insurance are bound to see the need now.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You’d better. I won’t take kindly to you costing me money.”
She didn’t miss the underlying threat in his tone. “The people here are good and honest. Don’t swindle them out of their hard-earned money.”
“I won’t.” Anthony jumped to his feet, startling her. “I sell insurance. They protect their homes and businesses, and I make a tidy commission. If I’d known legitimate business was so profitable, I might have tried it years ago.”
He sounded believable, but she caught the little twitch in his cheek. He was such a smooth liar that the twitch didn’t always show. But when it did, it was a sure sign that he wasn’t telling the truth.
“You could never do anything legitimate, Anthony. You like the challenge of fooling people and the excitement of getting away with it. The thrill of the game attracts you as much as the money. If you don’t leave town on the morning train, I’ll tell Sheriff Starr what you’re up to.”
She braced for his anger, expecting him to rail at her. Instead, a calculating gleam lit his eyes, sending a shiver of dread down her spine.
“Does your lover know about your past?”
“Yes. And he’s not my lover.”
“What about the good, honest townspeople? Do they know you were a gambler?”
“No. Ty is the only one who knows.”
“Ty? As in Ty McKinnon, the mayor?” Anthony always sized up a town before he plied his trade, particularly the law and others in authority who might cause him problems.
“Yes.”
He studied her intently. His uncanny ability to read people served him well in his profession. And with her. She had never been able to fool him even with a partial truth. “But you didn’t tell him about me.”
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