Soiled Dove

by Brenda Adcock

  Obviously relatives, none of them were smiling. They all looked angry about something. The men wore black suits and white shirts and most were seated. A dour-looking woman wearing a dark floor-length dress stood stiffly beside each man with her hand resting on his shoulder.

  “How may I help you, sir?” a deep voice asked.

  Ino whirled around and saw a man who looked very similar to the men in the photographs standing in the doorway to the parlor.

  “Sir, my name is Inuncio Valdez. I am here on behalf of my employer, Clare McIlhenney. Miss McIlhenney is the owner of a ranch near the Spanish Peaks, outside of Trinidad. She was recently injured in an accident and would like to offer the position of cook and housekeeper to your sister-in-law, Senora Langford.”

  “Mrs. Langford is already employed in town.”

  “Miss McIlhenney is prepared to offer Senora Langford not only the generous monthly wage of twenty dollars, but a place of her own to live in at the ranch, away from the main house.”

  “Your employer wishes to hire my sister-in-law as a servant, sir.”

  Ino wasn’t sure what to say to that. In actuality, Clare didn’t wish to hire anyone and it had taken him most of the morning to memorize what Mavis told him to say when making the offer.

  “Miss McIlhenney has six other employees who work her herd and needs someone to cook for them.

  Her home has many rooms and since her accident she has been unable to clean as well as she would like.”

  “So you are talking about a temporary position?”

  “I’m sure it would become permanent if Miss McIlhenney was satisfied with the work.”

  “You expect my sister-in-law to give up a permanent position in town near her family in favor of a temporary one in the middle of nowhere that might become permanent?”

  “Si, senor,” Ino answered, twisting his hat in his hands.

  “That’s ridiculous, Mr. Valdez,” Cyrus said with a chuckle.

  “But senor…” Ino began.

  “Amelia said we had company, Cyrus,” Loretta said as she entered the room and saw Ino. “Mr.

  Valdez,” she continued with a smile. “How nice to see you again. How is Miss McIlhenney?”

  “Apparently that’s why Mr. Valdez is here, my dear. It seems Miss McIlhenney wishes to hire you as her housekeeper. I’ve told him it’s out of the question.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s barely more than you earn now and it’s so far away from town.”

  “Miss McIlhenney also offers you a home to use as your own,” Ino interjected quickly.

  “Oh, Cyrus! That would be wonderful. To have my own home.”

  Cyrus turned to Ino and said, “I need to speak to my sister-in-law privately for a moment. Will you please excuse us, sir?”

  Cyrus took Loretta by the elbow and escorted her from the room and into his study. When he closed the door he said, “You cannot take this position, Loretta.

  It’s out of the question.”

  “Why? I came here to start over, just as you and Hettie did. This is my chance to do that. I could save the money and…”

  “I’ve spoken to many people in town and, from everything I’ve gathered, Clare McIlhenney is not the kind of person I would feel safe having you live around.”

  “Is she a whore or a gambler? Those are the kinds of people I am used to living around or have you forgotten so soon,” Loretta snapped.

  “She lives alone far from town. She and Mr.

  Valdez have lived together for many years and no one is certain what their relationship is. There are rumors she has encouraged the Indians in the area to attack her neighbors and has murdered or assaulted a number of people.”

  “Those are rumors, Cyrus. Since when do you listen to such things? Even if she has done any one of those things I’m certain she had a valid reason. She told me herself that she and Mr. Valdez are nothing more than friends.”

  “There is no good reason to live in sin, Loretta,”

  Cyrus hissed.

  She took a step closer and said firmly, “You did, Reverend. How dare you forbid me to live my life as I see fit! I owe you a great deal for saving my life, but I don’t owe you my life. What would your precious, pious congregation think if they knew you were living under the same roof with two former prostitutes who are not related to you? Save Amelia, please, but I will make my own decisions.”

  Cyrus looked stricken by the angry tone of Loretta’s voice. “I’m sorry, Loretta. Perhaps I have taken my promise to protect you too seriously.

  However, regardless of the consequences, I will not agree to let you take this position without at least one stipulation. You must be allowed to come into town one weekend a month so that we might see you.”

  “I can live with that, Cyrus,” Loretta said with a smile. “And I must give Rosario a chance to find another waitress before I leave and I already know just the right person for the job.”

  A WEEK AND a half later Ino took the buckboard into Trinidad to pick up Loretta and her belongings.

  His ears were still stinging from the tongue-lashing he had received from Clare over the hiring of a housekeeper and cook for the ranch. Clare was furious and threatened to fire him over the matter more than once. In return, he threatened to leave and take all the other hands with him. He couldn’t understand why Clare was being so damn stubborn about one small woman who would be relieving her of the cooking and household chores she hated so much.

  “You need help, Clare, and your goddamn pride is ruining your good judgment!”

  “You don’t know anything about this woman, yet you propose that I pay her and turn her loose in my home!”

  “What you got she might take off with? Look at this place! It’s filthy and you can’t take care of it by yourself right now. All I’m trying to do is make things easier for you.”

  “And make me pay for that privilege! I ought to take it out of your pay and then we’d see how long you’d be willing to put up with that. And you agreed to take her to town every month. I won’t pay you for those days so you can lollygag around in town for a weekend with Mavis. Or do you have your eyes on someone younger now!”

  It had been all Ino could do not to raise his hand against Clare. Instead he stomped out of the house and hitched the horses to the buckboard, leaving in the early evening. Despite all the arguing they had done, Ino never found a good time to tell Clare he had promised her old original cabin to Loretta, in addition to her pay each month.

  Before he made it into town a thunderstorm rolled over the mountains filling the sky with lightning and dumping a downpour. The storm lasted all night and part of the next morning, but when he drew the horses to a stop in front of Reverend Langford’s house, Loretta was ready to leave. She seemed much more excited about the new adventure than the reverend or the schoolmarm who showed up to say goodbye. The only other person who seemed thrilled for Loretta was her younger sister-in-law, Miss Amelia.

  The air was damp and chilly, but Loretta’s face was flushed was excitement. With a smile she faced forward in the seat of the buckboard and took a deep breath. As the road took her farther away from Trinidad, Loretta swiveled on her seat to look back at the small but growing town. The sight of hazy blue mesas through the early morning mist and the first shafts of light striking the golden prairies to the north of Trinidad took her breath away.

  Loretta’s reverie was interrupted when Ino pointed at the still snow-capped mountains ahead of them. “See how the first light turns the mountains red,” he said. “That is how these mountains got their name. The Sangre de Cristos, the Blood of Christ.

  Those two mountains ahead are called the Spanish Peaks. The ranch is near them.”

  Loretta smiled. Ino said the name in a way that was almost reverent. “They’re magnificent,” she agreed.

  The weather warmed slightly as the sun crept farther into the sky. It was nearly noon when Ino pulled the team over to rest them. Loretta unpacked small packages of snacks for her and In
o to eat. She drew the skirt to her simple dress up slightly and sat down on a rock outcropping. As soon as the horses were settled, Ino joined her.

  “What is that flat-looking mountain over there?”

  she asked, pointing to the south.

  “That is Fisher’s Peak. Beyond is the pass the Santa Fe and the New Mexico Territory.” Ino looked around as he ate. “There are many markers for travelers here. Fisher’s Peak to the south, Spanish Peaks to the north. The Indians believe the Spanish Peaks are the home of some of their gods who guard them. Sacred mountains.”

  “Indians?” Loretta asked.

  “Not many in this part of Colorado Territory now.” He allowed his eyes to scan the horizon. “All this belonged to them once.”

  By the time Ino announced they should resume their trip, Loretta was amazed by the beauty and quiet around them. She could easily see why someone like Clare McIlhenney would choose it as her home and be willing to fight not to lose it.

  The horses seemed to know where to go on their own and a few hours later Loretta saw wisps of white smoke curling up against the dark green trees just over a rise in the road. She stretched her body up as far as possible to get her first glimpse of her new home. Home. That was a word she never thought she would be able to say without being afraid. She had no idea what to expect from Clare McIlhenney or her ranch hands, but it couldn’t be any worse than what she’d already survived.

  When the clearing in front of the house came into view, Loretta smiled. It was larger than she’d thought. A sprawling single-story home of creosote logs with white chinking gleaming in the dappled sunlight filtering between tree branches. It was well shaded for the summer months and semi-protected from snow in the winter. Everything around the house seemed neat. A corral and a stable weren’t far from the house and there was a large stack of split wood between two tall trees near the house. Tall stands of aspen and evergreens seemed to extend endlessly a few yards from the rear of the structure, running up the low-lying foothills.

  Ino reined the horses in and jumped from the seat to jog around the wagon to help Loretta down. “It’s lovely, Mr. Valdez,” Loretta said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and stepped off the wagon.

  “Uh, there’s a stream and a couple of pools not far from here where we get our water. There’s fish in them if you’re inclined to fish.”

  “I’ll go exploring after I get settled,” Loretta said with a smile.

  Nodding, Ino went to the back of the wagon and lowered the tailgate. Loretta looked around the grounds once more while Ino climbed into the back of the buckboard and pushed her luggage closer to the tailgate.

  “Your room is not far from Clare’s room,” Ino said.“You said I would have a home of my own,”

  Loretta said, a little disappointed.

  “You will, but it ain’t quite ready for anyone to live in just yet,” he grunted as he slid a large valise toward the back. “It’ll take some fixin’ up, but the roof is solid.”

  He pushed the main door to the house open and led her to a small room near the back of the house. As Loretta entered, she glanced around and nodded. It was small, but there were two windows that gave her a wonderful view. On one side tall trees cast shade, but the other let her see the mountains and the small valley they’d traveled through on their way to the homestead. The room was furnished with a small bed big enough for one and a small chest of drawers. A washstand sat under the rear window and held a porcelain pitcher and wash basin.

  “You can see the small cabin back in those trees,”

  Ino said as he set the bag down at the foot of the bed.

  “This is very nice, Mr. Valdez,” Loretta said. “For now.”

  “I’ll get your other bag,” he said. Loretta followed him outside and reached into the front of the buckboard to get her travel valise as he pulled a second bag from the bed of the wagon. Just as they were entering the house, Ino heard the sound of hooves approaching. “Might be Clare and the hands,”

  he said, taking a deep breath.

  Loretta placed a hand on his back. “Are you sure it will be all right that I’m here?” she asked.

  “It’ll be fine, ma’am,” he nodded. He set the bag down and waited for Clare to come into view. “Why don’t you take your valise to your room, Miss Loretta.

  I’ll bring this one in a few minutes.”

  Loretta started to protest being sent to her room like a child, but thought better of it. She walked into the main room of the house and watched through a front window as Ino greeted two riders on horseback who were followed by a small buggy. Two younger-looking men swung off their horses and were on the ground before the animals came to a complete stop.

  One of them grabbed the bridle of the horse pulling the buggy while the second moved to the side of the conveyance to help someone out. Loretta recognized the passenger as Clare McIlhenney, who held a hand gingerly across her abdomen and moved slowly as she got her feet beneath her. Clare patted the cowboy on the shoulder and limped toward Ino, pushing her wide-brimmed hat back on her head while the men led the horse and buggy toward the stable. Loretta saw the frowning, angry look on Clare’s face and turned away.

  “I see you finally made it back,” Clare snapped.

  She shifted her weight uncomfortably.

  “Yeah, we just got here. There was a real bad storm last night so we didn’t get as early a start this mornin’ as I hoped,” Ino said calmly as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

  “Must’ve been the same fuckin’ storm that spooked our herd over half of southern Colorado during the night,” Clare said loudly as she stepped toward Ino, glaring at him. “Me and the boys been out since before sunup roundin’ them up. Sure as hell could’ve used another hand.”

  “I got back as soon as I could…,” Ino began.

  Clare brought her face so close to his that their noses nearly touched. “It wasn’t goddamn soon enough!” Clare seethed.

  “Clare…”

  “I told you I don’t need anyone else up here. I can handle it without the assistance of some woman we barely know,” Clare spat as she poked Ino in the chest. “She can pack up her shit and you’ll take her back to town in a couple of days. You hear me?”

  “We need her here, Clare,” Ino said. “Why’re you bein’ so damn stubborn?”

  “I don’t want strangers in my house. Why is that so hard for you to get into that thick Mexican head of yours?”

  “My but it’s chilly out here,” Loretta commented lightly as she approached Clare and her foreman.

  “And I’m not referring to the weather,” she added with a glance at Clare. “You sound much stronger than the last time we spoke, Miss McIlhenney. Would you care for a cup of hot coffee?” Clare and Ino had been so busy glaring at one another that neither saw Loretta come out of the house carrying a small tray of cups and a steaming pot of coffee. “I don’t know yet how you take your coffee, but I hope black will do for now,” Loretta said nonchalantly as she handed a cup to Clare and another to Ino, who was staring at her rather stupidly. She used a piece of checkered cloth to pick up the battered pot and pour. “You could use a new pot, by the way,” she said with a smile.

  “Washing it daily will cut back on the bitterness.”

  Clare grabbed her hat from her head and accepted the cup. “Thank you, ma’am,” she said, softening her voice. The subtle scent of perfume struck Clare’s nose, surprising her with the way it triggered her memories.

  Loretta nodded. “I’ll just take these to your hands.”

  Clare stared after her as she walked toward the stable and handed the other cups to the cowboys who were unsaddling their horses. Rather than returning to the house, she picked up a saddle and helped put the tack away, chatting with the cowboys as she did so. “She’s a pretty little thing, ain’t she?” Ino leaned closer and asked quietly.

  “I reckon, but that don’t change nothin’. Goddamn it, what the hell were you thinkin’? Or did you let your pecker do that fo
r you?”

  “I already told you. We need someone who can cook and clean while you’re laid up. I hired her so’s I could have more time to help you and the boys with the herd without wonderin’ what kind of cold meal was waitin’ for us back at the house. I’m gettin’ kinda tired of jerky and beans. Ain’t you?”

  “What’re you payin’ her?” Clare asked, taking a sip of coffee.

  “I told her you would pay her twenty dollars a month. If it don’t work out, you can take it outta my pay.”

  “I’ll give her until right before the first snowfall, but I don’t think she’ll make it that long. You know how it is out here,” Clare said. “Ain’t no place for a decent woman.”

  “You live out here.”

  “No one’s mistaken me for a decent woman since I left Pennsylvania when I was barely an adult,” she said. She gulped down the remainder of her coffee.

  “Damn good coffee though.”

  “Musta washed the pot,” Ino mumbled.

  After Loretta returned to the house, Ino finished his coffee and handed the cup to Clare before turning back to the buckboard. As Ino leaned down to unhook and remove the horses’ harnesses, Clare saw Caleb join him. He patted the hind quarters of the nearest horse.

  “Pretty girl,” Caleb commented with a glance toward the house.

  “Yeah,” Ino grunted. “Guess so.”

  “I wouldn’t mind tappin’ a little of that sometime,” Caleb said with a grin

  Clare didn’t like what the young cowboy implied, but she was surprised when Ino dropped the reins to the team and grabbed the front of Caleb’s shirt, pushing him roughly into the side of the buckboard.

  “You lay a hand on her I’ll kill you myself, boy.

  She’s here to help out until Clare’s back on her feet.

  She don’t need some worthless piece of shit like you pantin’ after her ass. Comprende?” Clare heard Ino threaten.

  “I got it, I got it!” Caleb hissed. “I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

  Clare dropped her head and smiled as Ino shoved Caleb away and led the horses toward the stable. She reached for the handle of the front door to her home, but hesitated. Maybe she should wait for Ino. She suddenly felt ill at ease, remembering the lively hazel eyes she had seen at the doctor’s office. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone in the house with her new housekeeper. There was something in Loretta’s eyes that made Clare nervous. What had she seen?