by Al Lacy
“The lady is a nurse from Denver. They got married recently. He did all right for himself, didn’t he? Isn’t she beautiful?”
A stab of intense jealousy pierced through Cassandra, but she masked her feelings. She had become quite adept at making people see her as something other than the self-centered person she really was. “Yes, Greg. She is very beautiful.”
He smiled, reached across the table, and took hold of her hand. “Of course, she isn’t as beautiful as you, Cassandra.”
Those words erased the thoughts she was having about Greg. She blushed and batted her eyelids. “Thank you.”
“I’ve been to Dr. Logan twice since he came here to take over Dr. Robert Fraser’s practice. Both times it was for minor injuries that I sustained on the job. I like him very much.”
The waitress came with their food and placed it on the table.
While they were eating, Cassandra reached deep inside for courage and said, “Greg, I need to have a little talk with you this evening before you take me home.”
Greg glanced up at a clock that hung on the wall. “Unless it needs to be a long talk, we should have plenty of time.”
“N-no. It shouldn’t take but a few minutes.”
“Okay. Since we’re going for a moonlight ride after dinner, we can talk then.”
“All right. That will be fine.”
Greg met her gaze. “Is this about something special I can do for you?”
She swallowed her food. “Well, in a way, yes.”
“Good. I’ve been waiting for something like this.”
Cassandra wished the “something special” was different than it was, but she hoped it would turn out all right.
They ate silently for a couple of minutes; then Greg said, “It must have been terrible for you to lose both parents. It was hard enough for me to lose my mother, but to lose both parents had to be something awful.”
Cassandra felt her stomach cramp. She had her coffee cup to her lips. She took a sip and waved her free hand through the steam that was rising from the cup.
Anything to avoid comment.
Greg grinned. “Really hot, huh?”
She nodded.
Greg was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “I sure am glad I still have Dad. He and I are really close.”
Cassandra took another sip of coffee.
Greg sensed that she would rather not discuss her parents, so he dropped the subject.
Time seemed to pass quickly.
Greg and Cassandra were eating their dessert when they noticed the Logans rising from their table in preparation to leave.
At the same instant, Dr. Logans eyes settled on Greg. He smiled and guided his wife toward their table.
When they drew up, Dr. Dane said, “Hello, Greg. I don’t think I’ve met this young lady.”
Because of Mrs. Logans presence, Greg stood up. “This is Cassandra Wheatley, Doctor. She’s Mrs. Mabel Downing’s niece.”
The doctor smiled at Cassandra. “I had heard that Mabel’s niece had come to live with her. Glad to meet you, little lady.” Taking hold of Tharyn’s hand, Dr. Dane drew her close. “Cassandra, Greg, this is my wife, Tharyn. Honey, this is Greg Holton. His father owns the Holton Coal Mine just west of town. And as you heard, this is Mabel Downing’s niece, Cassandra Wheatley.”
“Happy to meet both of you,” Tharyn said pleasantly.
Greg grinned. “Same here, ma’am.”
“Yes,” said Cassandra. “I’m happy to meet you, ma’am.” She then looked up at the doctor. “Dr. Logan, you did a very commendable thing in the face of that gunman’s threat this morning. I was glad to hear that Mayor Anderson is going to be all right.”
“Everybody in town is glad he wasn’t killed, and thank you for your kind words, Miss Wheatley. I want to welcome you to Central City. We attend the same church your aunt does, and we really think a lot of her. Hope you can come to church with her sometime soon.”
Cassandra felt a hot surge rush through her chest. She was trying to think of what to say when Tharyn said, “I want to welcome you to our town too, Cassandra.”
Dr. Dane glanced at the clock on the wall. “We’d better go, sweetheart. We have to visit the Coxes.”
“Yes, we do. Well, it’s been nice meeting both of you. I hope we meet again soon.”
“Me too,” said Greg.
Cassandra nodded and this time had to force a smile. “Yes. Me too.”
The Logans headed for the cashier’s counter.
Moments later, Greg and Cassandra left the restaurant. Greg drove the buggy to the south edge of town, left the road, drove over a hill on a bumpy path, and hauled up beside a small, gurgling brook that flowed through a forest of pine trees.
The three-quarter moon was already high in the sky and was sending down its silver beams on the faces of the couple. The wolves at higher elevations began their haunting, mournful howls. The stars twinkled like lights in a fairy palace and the soft wind moaned through the pines.
Greg turned and set admiring eyes on Cassandra. Her soft, lovely features were framed by hair as black as the wing of a raven. Moonlight was reflected in her beautiful eyes. “There’s a fallen tree down there on the bank of the brook. Would you like to go down there and sit?”
Cassandra was already feeling shaky because of what she had to tell Greg, but masking it, she smiled and said, “Yes, that would be nice.”
Greg helped her out of the buggy and held her hand while he guided her a few steps down the gentle slope to the fallen tree.
When they were sitting comfortably, he looked into her fathomless eyes. “Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Cassandra felt her heart lurch in her chest and decided to put it off a little longer by saying, “I’ll get to that in a moment, but I’d like to ask you something.”
“Sure. Ask away, pretty lady.”
“Do you and your father go to church?”
Greg looked at her blankly. “Well … uh … no, we don’t.”
Relief washed over her.
Greg’s brow furrowed in the moonlight as distant wolves continued to howl higher up in the mountains. “Why do you ask if Dad and I go to church?”
“Well—I—ah—my Aunt Mabel is very religious, and she makes me nervous. Don’t misunderstand. I love Aunt Mabel, but she is really a fanatic. She goes to church every time the doors are open. She reads her Bible twice a day and prays over every meal. I—I want to get to know you better, Greg, so I thought it best to find out if you and your father are like her. If you were—well, I guess we just wouldn’t become close friends or anything like that.”
Greg studied her dark eyes, but did not comment.
Cassandra cleared her throat gently. “Do you believe in God?”
He nodded. “Yes. So does Dad. But we’re just not churchgoers. Your aunt’s pastor has visited us a few times. Pastor Mark Shane is a nice man, but like your aunt, he’s a fanatic. Each time he has come to our house, he has showed us from the Bible about Jesus Christ dying on the cross for sinners and that we must put our faith in Him for salvation and forgiveness of our sins, or we will go to hell when we die.”
“I don’t believe in hell,” Cassandra said.
“Well, I’m not really sure I do either. Dad and I have talked about it each time after Pastor Shane has come to the house, and we’ve agreed that since we live decent lives, if hell exists, God wouldn’t put us there. In spite of what Pastor Shane has preached to us from the Bible, we believe because we’re not outlaws or killers, God will take us to heaven.”
Cassandra shook her head. “I don’t believe in heaven, either. I had a friend back home in Aurora who let me read a book written by Charles Darwin. It was actually a book that compiled letters he had written to people on the subject of God and evolution. Darwin said the Bible is no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindus, or anybody else’s sacred books. He said even if God exists, there is no heaven and there is no hell. When we die, that’s the e
nd of us. We no longer exist.”
Again, Greg studied Cassandra’s eyes, but did not comment.
There was a moment of silence with only the babbling of the brook and the howling of wolves in their ears; then Greg said, “So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Cassandra’s mouth went dry. For a moment, fear froze her. She could feel her heart pounding and a vein in her forehead pulsing. There was a hot commotion in her chest.
“W-well, I—I have s-something to confess, G-Greg.”
He frowned. “What’s that?”
“I—I told you a lie that day we first met.”
“A lie?”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
“About my parents. They’re not really dead.”
“Oh?”
“No. I also lied to Rosemary about it.”
Greg stared at her questioningly.
Cassandra told herself she had no choice but to lie to him again. She cleared her throat. “You see, Greg, my parents treated me terribly. It’s hard to tell you this, but you need to know it. Both Mother and Father beat on me for no sensible reason time and time again. Sometimes they made me go for days without eating as punishment for something I hadn’t even done. I took all I could and finally ran away from home.”
“Oh, you poor kid.”
It was working. Greg was buying it.
She went on. “With what little money I had, I took a train from Chicago to Denver, then took a stagecoach to Central City. Though I knew about Aunt Mabel’s religious fanaticism and I didn’t like it, I knew she would take me in.”
Cassandra then turned on the tears. “Greg, I need your forgiveness. Will you forgive me for lying to you about my parents being dead?”
He took hold of both her hands and looked into her tear-dimmed eyes. “I forgive you, Cassandra. I can understand why you wouldn’t want people to know you had parents like that. I’m sorry you’ve had to have so much sorrow and heartache in your life.”
Cassandra was smiling inside. Now that she had Greg in the palm of her hand, she would go on to embellish her poor-me status.
Letting the tears flow down her cheeks, she said with trembling voice, “Wh-when my parents told me to get out of their house, they let me pack a bag with the bare essentials. The bag was small, and I couldn’t bring but a few dresses, and most of them were threadbare. It’s been so difficult to keep up appearances with my meager wardrobe.”
Compassion was showing in Greg’s eyes.
Cassandra would do her best to get all the sympathy from him she could, hoping that would cause him to give her money. She slipped her hands from his and rubbed the sleeves of her dress, affording him a sad little smile. “You see, Aunt Mabel worked all day on this old dress, trying to make it suitable for our date this evening.”
Greg’s brow furrowed. “Why doesn’t your aunt buy you some new dresses? Everyone in town knows her husband had a life insurance policy worth enough to comfortably care for her the rest of her life.”
Cassandra had come to Central City because she knew her aunt, though not exactly wealthy, was comfortable enough financially to provide for her niece. But she had found that Aunt Mabel was reluctant to give her money or buy her new clothes.
“Greg, Aunt Mabel was kind enough to give me a home with her, and to feed me, but that’s about all. I—I’m trying to find some sort of work here in town, but so far, no one seems to be hiring young ladies with no experience.”
Greg rubbed his chin. “Cassandra, I—I don’t want to embarrass you. Please don’t be offended at what I’m about to offer. Would you let me supply you with some money until you can get a job?”
As he spoke, he pulled a money clip out of his pocket, removed several bills of currency, counted them, and extended them to her. “Here’s two hundred dollars.”
Cassandra blushed, putting on a false face of humility. “Oh, Greg, I … I really shouldn’t let you do this.”
He took hold of her hand, placed the bills against her palm, and closed her fingers over them. “I want to help you. Please accept it.”
She looked down at the bills, then back at him. Tears flowed freely again. “I—I don’t know how to thank you.”
“No need. It’s my pleasure. And when you need more, I want you to let me know, okay?”
“Oh, I could never—”
“Cassandra, promise you will let me know when you need more. It may take time for you to get a job, so I want your promise.”
Her heart was thumping her rib cage. Putting a look of humility in her teary eyes, she nodded. “All right, if you say so.”
Greg smiled. “I say so.”
“You will never know what this means to me.”
“I’m just glad I can do it.” He looked up toward the moon. “Well, we’d better go. I don’t want your aunt to be upset at me for getting you home late.”
Moments later when she was seated comfortably in the buggy and they were headed back toward town, Cassandra gloated within herself at her success in winning Greg over. Soon she would get him to propose.
NINE
Eric Cox stood on the opposite side of his wife’s bed from Dr. Dane and Tharyn Logan as Tharyn held Nelda’s hand and the doctor gave them the details of their upcoming trip to Denver next Monday, July 18.
Dr. Dane explained the details of the surgery, making sure they both understood the use of the ivory ball.
When the doctor had finished his explanation, Eric said, “Then we’ll plan on leaving at seven o’clock on Monday morning as you said, Doctor.”
Dr. Dane nodded. “That will get us to Mile High Hospital by about one o’clock in the afternoon. Nelda will be given a nice room and bed so she can rest until surgery time Wednesday morning.”
Eric smiled. “It was awfully nice of Dr. Carroll to make reservations for you two and myself at the hotel. I’m going to pay for your room, too.”
Dr. Dane shook his head. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Oh yes, I do. It is part of your expense so you and Tharyn can perform Nelda’s surgery. That’s the way it’s going to be.”
“But—”
“No ‘buts.’ I said I’m paying for your hotel room.”
Dr. Dane grinned. “Well, if you insist.”
“I insist.”
“No sense arguing with my husband, Doctor,” said Nelda, her face contorted with pain. “He’s stubborn as a mule.”
The doctor grinned again. “I just found that out. Well anyway, Nelda, I know this will be a long ride for you, so I’ll be renting a special carriage from Central City’s stable for the trip. I’ve rented them before when taking patients to Denver to do surgery on them at the hospital. These carriages have a flat, padded place in the center where you can lie at least reasonably comfortably during the trip. But I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.”
Nelda looked at her husband and back to the doctor. “Yes, sir?”
“I’m going to give you a good dose of laudanum just before we pull out on Monday morning. It will ease the pain that you most surely will experience on the rough roads. The laudanum will also induce sleep so you can get the rest you need. We don’t want you tired and worn out when it’s time to do the surgery.”
Nelda managed a smile in spite of her pain and discomfort.
She reached up and clasped his hand. “Thank you, Dr. Logan. You think of everything. I really appreciate the kind of care you are giving me.”
Tharyn turned her gaze from the patient to her gentle husband. Tears misted her eyes and a smile beamed on her face.
Eric spoke up. “Dr. Logan, I appreciate your planning to rent this specially equipped carriage for Nelda’s comfort. I will reimburse you for this expense too, when I pay you the bill for the surgery.”
“This isn’t necessary, Eric,” Dr. Dane said.
“No use arguing, Doctor,” said Nelda. “He won’t budge, and I don’t want him to. It is only right that we pay for the use of the carriage. After all, it
’s for my benefit.”
Dr. Dane looked at his wife and sighed. “I think we have two stubborn mules here, sweetheart.”
Tharyn smiled. “Looks like it.”
Nelda chewed on her lower lip. “Ah … Doctor, something just came to my mind.”
“Yes?”
“The attacks that some of the Ute Indians have made on ranchers and travelers in the Rocky Mountains of late. Will we be in any danger?”
Dr. Dane scratched an ear. “I’m not aware of any such Indian attacks.”
“There have been a couple of renegade Ute bands who have attacked whites lately, Doctor,” said Eric. “All of these attacks have been farther west in the Rockies, on the other side of the Continental Divide.”
“That’s why I haven’t heard about them,” the doctor said, running his gaze between Eric and Nelda. “But I’ll tell you what. If you’re afraid to make the trip because of the Indians, I’ll go to Fort Junction and see if Colonel Perry Smith will give us a cavalry escort.”
“Oh no,” said Nelda. “It isn’t necessary. I hadn’t thought it through, or I wouldn’t have said anything about it. Since the renegade Ute attacks have been on the west side of the Continental Divide and we’ll be traveling east, there shouldn’t be any danger.”
Dr. Dane looked at Eric. “What’s your opinion?”
“I agree with Nelda. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about since we’re already on the east side of the Mountains, and we’re heading farther east. I’m not worried.”
Dr. Dane nodded. “All right, but I’ll bring along a couple repeater rifles just in case.”
“That’ll be good enough,” said Eric. “Say, how about that shooting incident on Main Street this morning? Our neighbors just to the south were there when it happened and stopped to tell us about it when they came home this afternoon. They said they never saw such raw courage as you displayed.”
Nelda smiled up at him. “So you are now Central City’s beloved physician, Dr. Logan. I like that.”
Eric chuckled. “Me, too.”
A proud smile played on Tharyn’s features as she ran her gaze from Nelda to the man she adored.