“Don’t worry. When the day comes, my mother will be there as often as you allow her. She misses my sister and her grandchildren. She’ll be the best grandmother for our children.”
Becca nodded but remembered celebrating her thirteenth birthday. Living on a farm, she understood about the birthing process but was not prepared for what her mother experienced or losing her and her infant brother moments after his birth. She shuddered and said a silent prayer asking God to spare her from a difficult birth when her time came. She also prayed she’d have a few years before she became a mother but Becca knew it was all in God’s hands.
Chapter Twelve
While the good folks of Gentle Falls went about their daily routine and Lyman Grillow’s children were being cared for, Lyman sat on the cot in his jail cell holding his head.
He looked up and yelled to Ben, “You need to let me out of here. I have children that need me.”
“You should have thought about them before you got drunk.” Ben snapped at the man fighting back the anger he felt.
“I was lost in grief. Let me out, I’m sober now,” Grillow insisted.
“If you were just in here for getting drunk, I’d send you on your way, but you tried to abduct Miss Broadmoor. Judge Magarey will hold a trial, and you’ll likely be sentenced to serve time in the state prison.”
“What? No, I have three children. What will happen to them?” Lyman jumped to his feet and gripped the bars of his cell until his fingers turned white. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just needed her help. I lost my Phoebe, I can’t lose my children. I don’t have any other family that would be willing to care for them.”
“There are orphanages near Milwaukee that will care for the children. The nuns care for the children at separate orphanages. The boys will be together, and your daughter is too young to remember her brothers. If they’re lucky, they’ll be adopted,” Ben explained and sat behind his desk.
Lyman dropped back onto his cot and dropped his head into his hands again. “Wait,” Lyman pleaded. “Don’t send them to an orphanage. I have a sister in Prairieville. We aren’t close, but she and Phoebe got along well. Maybe she’d take them.”
Ben nodded and asked for the sister’s information. “I’ll send a telegram to her, and with any luck, you’ll know what will happen to them before the judge makes his ruling.” He left Lyman to wallow in his grief and self-pity to send the telegram he hoped would bring good news.
Ben walked to the telegraph office to send the telegram to Lyman’s sister and noticed Minnie’s wagon coming down the street. When it stopped in front of the mercantile, he strode over to see if he could offer any assistance.
He smiled when he noticed all three children appeared well. The boys were trying their best to climb out of the wagon while Becca tried her best to keep them in the wagon bed. Winifred sat holding a small bundle and humming. It must be Grillow’s newborn daughter. Thank heavens they were all unhurt.
“Miss Rebecca, Miss Winifred,” Ben greeted them. “It appears all went well at the Grillow farm.
Becca smiled and nodded, “Except one of the boys managed to untie himself and fed himself and his brother handfuls of sugar. They are adorable but active.” Gripping one of the boy’s shirts just before he vaulted himself off the side of the wagon, she added, “very active.”
Ben laughed and strode over to discuss the situation with Doc and Minnie. Satisfied that the children were not harmed, he spoke to Becca again.
“I will stop in and inform Judge Magarey of your attempted abduction. He eats his supper at Callahan’s every day but hates to be disturbed. When he’s having his pie, I’ll explain the situation.”
Becca’s eyes opened wide, and she asked, “What will happen to him?”
“The judge will decide on a trial date. He’ll stay in jail until the trial, and more than likely will be sent to prison.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Becca pleaded. “He didn’t hurt me. He was out of his mind with grief. If I speak with the judge, do you suppose he might be lenient and let Mr. Grillow go home? What would happen to his children long term? Right now, Minnie said the boys will stay with her and Rachel is taking the baby home. They can’t keep them forever.”
Ben frowned and said, “In most cases, they are sent to an orphanage.”
“No,” Becca insisted clutching the boys to her chest. “These boys deserve a good life on their farm with their father and sister. I won’t testify against him. He should be shown compassion, not prison.”
Ben ran his hand over his face and blew out a breath. The judge didn’t like dealing with difficult women, and he could tell Miss Rebecca would be a problematic witness. He looked back at her and said, “Let me explain that to the judge and we’ll see what he says.”
Becca smiled, “Thank you. I could speak with the judge before he decides.”
Ben raised his eyebrows knowing the judge’s reaction beforehand but shrugged. “I’ll let him know, and if he wants to speak with you, I’ll send you a message.” He tipped his hat and strode toward the telegraph office to send the telegram.
Becca noticed it was after six o’clock and decided she’d see the judge before he ate his supper or look for him if he already finished. He had to listen to her. She couldn’t stand by and allow those children to go to an orphanage. She knew what it was like to lose her mother, but she had been thirteen. These children were so young never to know a mother and to also lose a father was unthinkable. Growing up in an orphanage was not the answer. Not if she had a say in it. She turned to Winifred and grabbed her arm.
“Please come with me. I’m going to find the judge. I can’t let those children be sent away.”
Winifred tried to stop her heeding the sheriff’s words to wait for him to speak to the judge first, but Becca had already hurried off. She caught up with her just outside the door of the restaurant.
“Wait, Rebecca. Perhaps you should listen to the sheriff,” she gasped trying to catch her breath.
“No, he’s a man. They see things differently. I need the judge to see this from my side, a woman’s view of what children need,” Becca insisted opening the door and scanning the customers. She spotted an elderly gentleman wearing a three-piece suit.
Becca saw Nell bring the man a cup of coffee and hurried to her side. “Is that Judge Magarey?”
Nell nodded, “Yes.”
“Good, I need to speak to him,” Becca explained and walked up to his table.
The judge looked up and said, “Hello, may I help you?”
“Yes, your honor. I have a problem. May I sit, please?”
“By all means. Would you like a cup of coffee,” the judge asked as he stirred sugar into his own cup.
“No, thank you,” Becca bit her lip wondering how to begin.
“What can I do for you, young lady?”
Becca began, “My name is Rebecca Broadmoor. I am Adam Greiner’s fiancé.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir,” Becca began. “Earlier today…”
The judge stared at Becca while she explained the entire story from hearing the puppy to Grillow needing a wife since he had just lost his, to the twins eating all that sugar, to their needing their father, to telling him that she refused to press charges, and finally that sending the children to an orphanage would be a cruel thing to do.
The judge lifted the cup to his lips to sip his coffee never taking his eyes off Becca. He honestly hated when women became entangled in the law, and this woman had jumped in with both feet. Not only was she the victim but she was the offender’s advocate.
Before he could reply, Becca added, “I thought I would come to you first. Sheriff Clay said he would inform you, but I thought this was a better solution than if I had to hire Mr. Bowen to help Mr. Grillow and go through all that court nonsense.”
Court nonsense?
Did he hear her correctly? He nearly spit out his coffee but managed to swallow it before he spoke. “Young lady, court proceedings are
never nonsense. I will speak with the sheriff and Mr. Grillow. I heard your side of things. I will not need to speak to you further. The sheriff will advise you if that changes.”
Becca sat there wanting to yell at the judge. He was dismissing her without telling her whether or not he would let Mr. Grillow out of jail. She bit back a retort and smiled instead. “Thank you, your honor. I look forward to hearing your answer.”
She stood to leave and saw Winifred sitting at a table with Adam and Miranda. Hurrying over, she dropped into a chair next to Adam. “I explained to the judge about what happened. You don’t think he’ll send that poor man to prison do you?”
Miranda assured her, “The judge is a fair man. He’ll take everything you said into account. Now, we should get home before Roy comes into town looking for me and his supper. I have fresh bread at home, and Cal is packing up some soup for us to take with us. I didn’t expect to be in town all day.”
“I’m sorry. That’s my fault. Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped in to help when I heard about the Grillow children being home alone since yesterday. I was worried about them,” Becca said lowering her head to stare at the table. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her soon to be mother-in-law.
“Nonsense, my dear. You and Winifred did the right thing helping Minnie and Rachel. It gave me more time to spend with Nell’s twins and order a few more items I needed from Sarah. Spending a day in town is never difficult for me,” Miranda insisted. “Ask Adam, he knows.”
“Yes, Ma’s right. She never feels a day in town’s a waste of time. Pa doesn’t understand it, and neither do I, but it’s part of who Ma is,” Adam said.
“I can understand that,” Becca said. “I could’ve spent all day in Sarah’s shop.”
Miranda’s bright smile worried Adam. Did his Ma just find the perfect partner to enjoy time with while in town? He knew she already told Becca about the ladies weekly quilting meetings and sewing circle. He supposed that was to be expected. Becca would want friends. As long as she didn’t become involved with Alberta Willoughby and the ladies at church who decided to protest most everything they didn’t agree with in town. No, she’d be too busy turning their house into a home.
~ * ~
Becca’s visit to Sarah’s dress shop on Wednesday morning was more exciting than she expected. Sarah, true to her word, had the dress stitched together and Becca could see what the finished dress would look like.
“It doesn’t look as if I need to make any alterations. I will tighten the seams, and Molly can began adding the embellishments. When that’s done, we will adjust the hem. Next time you come in be sure to bring the shoes you plan to wear,” Sarah explained.
“Shoes? I never thought about shoes. I have boots for summer, winter, and church. They’re all sturdy and black. What do I do?”
Molly hurried behind the counter and pulled out several boxes. “We have slippers. They aren’t good for walking over stones or the dirt street, but they work well for church and the reception. You can change into them at church. There is a small dressing room, so you don’t need to wear your dress on the way to church.”
Becca lifted the skirts of her wedding dress and strolled to the counter to look at the slippers. She saw several pairs of beautiful white satin slippers embroidered with tiny pink or blue flowers. Molly suggested a pair with pink flowers, and Becca turned to take the dress off and try on the slippers when the door opened, and the bell jangled catching their attention.
Sheriff Clay entered the shop, and Molly rushed up to him. “Sweetie, what are you doing here? I saw you at breakfast just a couple of hours ago.” She kissed his cheek.
He smiled but whispered in her ear, “Please don’t call me sweetie in public. I need to keep up appearances as the strong, rough sheriff.”
Molly giggled, “If they only knew the truth, but it’s just the ladies here. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, I saw Miss Rebecca enter the store earlier and needed to speak with her.”
“Becca,” Molly said. “Ben needs a word with you.”
“What is it, Sheriff,” Becca asked looking up from the counter filled with slippers.
“I wanted to tell you that the judge spoke to Mr. Grillow. After listening to his story and taking what you said into consideration, he decided to release Mr. Grillow. He did warn him that if he ever set foot in the saloon again, that he would be arrested again and charged with your near abduction.”
Becca clasped her hands to her chest, “I am grateful. I have been praying he would be able to raise his children. This is good news, thank you, Sheriff.”
Ben nodded, “It helps that Grillow’s sister is coming to stay with him for a while and that the judge is preoccupied with the council meeting about the new saloon.”
“Oh,” Miranda said standing quickly. “That is this evening, isn’t it. Well, we simply must attend. The ladies at church will not allow more soiled doves living in town. Becca and Winifred will join the ladies, I’m sure, and I know Sarah and Molly are coming.”
Ben’s eyes shot to Molly. He knew his darling wife had strong opinions of her own and after dealing with the previous saloon owner, she’d do all she could to keep sporting ladies out of town. Not only because she thought it sinful, but her heart went out to women caught up in a profession they usually didn’t choose.
Chapter Thirteen
Judge Magarey paced back and forth in the new community meeting room with his hands behind his back. The scent of fresh hewn wood surrounded him, but his anger grew the longer he paced, and the sound of silent hammers was deafening. There should be men working on the floors above him. How can an order of lumber meant for a town hall be delivered to someone else? The first-floor community room was finished, but the second-floor courtroom and offices were behind schedule. He groaned wondering when the third floor would finally be completed. His office would be on the third floor, and the view out of his windows would be of the open fields and trees, not the sight of Main Street that his office had now.
At least, he mused, they could now hold this ridiculous council meeting in the new hall and not the church. The city had rules and laws for a reason. How dare Malcolm Reed try to change the rules to fit his business needs. As progressive as the town of Gentle Falls was, he would not see Reed’s new saloon drag the town backward. After all, they now had a woman on the city council along with a younger business owner. Both Henrietta Picklesimer, the former Widow Biggs, and young Callahan added a progressive element to the city council. Progressive or not, the town would not allow Reed to have working girls in his new saloon.
Sheriff Ben Clay pushed the heavy wooden double doors open and told the residents to find a seat quietly and quickly if they wanted to attend the council meeting. He would not allow a boisterous meeting and did his best to explain that to people as they passed. As the town residents filled the newly completed community room, the rest of the council members entered through a side door. Louis Masters and Morton Willoughby joined Henrietta, Callahan, and the judge at the table placed at the front of the hall. Five chairs were set behind the table facing the large group of residents.
The judge whispered to Morton, “Did the entire town come out for this meeting?”
“I believe so,” Morton replied. “I heard my wife say the Church Ladies League would be here along with their husbands. That would account for about half the people here.”
“I hope your wife won’t cause another scene.”
“I warned her, Judge, but the ladies have strong feelings when it comes to having soiled doves in town. Alberta declared during breakfast that they would go to jail before allowing the council to change any rules.”
The judge nodded, rubbed his forehead, greeted the other council members, and sat on the middle chair at the table. He glanced out over the faces he recognized and noticed that most of the women sat in a group near the front of the room. The burgundy fabric upholstered backless benches added a bit of dignity to the room, but they also allowed the ladies
to sit close together and whisper. He groaned inwardly knowing at least a few of them would cause a ruckus before the meeting was over.
Just before Ben closed the doors, Malcolm Reed entered and took a seat halfway down the center aisle. Although he’d been in town for a while, he still dressed exactly like an Eastern dandy. The judge wondered how the man would fare in a town where the saloon would be filled with drunken farm hands on Saturday nights.
The judge banged the gavel on the table trying to get everyone’s attention. “Good afternoon ladies and gentleman. This open meeting of the Gentle Falls city council will address one issue. Malcolm Reed, the owner of the new saloon, has brought a request that the city change the rules on who can reside in his saloon. I will allow him to explain first before we have a discussion.”
Malcolm stood, yanked his vest down tightly, and walked to the front of the room. “Good afternoon, Judge Magarey, council members, and residents of Gentle Falls. As most of you know, I was a silent partner in the saloon run by Silas Underwood. After it burned to the ground and Mr. Underwood was sent to prison for his part in an abduction, I arrived in town to take over the running of the saloon. It will open soon, but I have been denied the right to use the second story of my saloon as a hotel. I would like that changed.”
Judge Magarey interrupted Malcolm, “Mr. Reed, you were not denied the right to rent rooms in your saloon. You are, however, not allowed to rent those rooms to women nor are you allowed to employ women that will, let’s say, share a room with your saloon customers.”
Malcolm spun to look at the judge, “That is ridiculous, I have a right to rent rooms to whomever I wish.”
Alberta Willoughby was not about to remain quiet about this issue. She stood and spoke directly to Malcolm. “Mr. Reed, we have a lovely hotel in town that can accommodate any woman who needs a room. A decent woman would never want to take a room in a saloon.”
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