No Place for a Lady (28 page)

Two days later the group, tired but looking forward to some
excitement and a taste of Denver, picked their way along the last
leg of trail. The sand and dust was thick, the air dry. They had
followed Clear Creek and later the Platte River alongside the
sprawling cow towns nestled in the valley. To the south of them
lay Pikes Peak, and though its imposing sight looked close, it
was still sixty miles away. To the northwest lay Longs Peak, its
sharp outline visibly imposing against the clear sky.

After a brief respite following the cattle crossing of the Platte
River, they saw low brick buildings begin to crop up in the outlying areas. By late afternoon they would be at the rail station,
where Luke and Rusty would wrangle a deal to sell the beef as
quickly as possible.

"That was about the fastest deal I ever made, Miss Crystal:"
Rusty clapped his gloves against his thigh with obvious enthusiasm.

"Who made the deal?" Crystal poked her finger into Rusty's
chest.

"Well ... Mr. Hunter was taken with you, Miss Crystal, and
you drove a hard bargain. Although how he could tell you were a
woman under all that dirt and grime, beats me:" Luke chuckled.

Crystal pursed her lips coquettishly and fluttered her eyelids,
not at all embarrassed at the way she had handled the sale. In fact,
she would now be able to pay her punchers and her debts.

"I'll go pay the boys. Luke, you walk Miss Crystal over to the
Oxford like you promised. We'll see to the horses. I'll meet up
with you later," Rusty said.

"Shall we?" Luke offered his arm to Crystal as he picked up her
carpetbag. "It's about a few short blocks to the hotel:"

Placing her hand under his arm, she felt an unexpected tangle
of emotions. If April were here, she would be clawing Crystal's
eyes out, but since she wasn't, Crystal was going to enjoy the
moment.

The Oxford Hotel, though five stories tall, did not impress
Crystal very much from the outside. But once inside, Crystal clapped her mouth shut and stifled her outright delight
so as not to seem lacking in manners. The beautiful, rich oak
furnishings and marbled floors were gleaming. A crackling
fire beckoned warmth to patrons from its ornate oak fireplace,
which was flanked by overstuffed tapestry chairs. A Victorian settee in rich gold brocade sat facing the fire, inviting guests to
converse. Velvet drapery with deep swags adorned the windows
overlooking the burgeoning metropolis that had started out
as a mining town.

Crystal was elated as they strode straight up to the clerk at
the front desk, who peered over his spectacles at them with an
inquiring look. Crystal felt his gaze, knowing full well that she
must appear a little the worse for wear with her worn chambray
shirt, pants tucked into her boot tops, and hair trailing down her
back. Not a proper lady! his look said.

"Yes?" He removed his glasses and waited.

"We'd like a room, please" Luke seemed to ignore the clerk's
stare.

The clerk cleared his throat. "Of course. You must pay in advance, er, Mr. and Mrs... "

"Oh, no" Luke waved his hand. "Just one person. One night:"

Embarrassed, Crystal spoke up. "I'm Crystal Clark. I'd like a hot
bath sent up as soon as possible to wash away the trail grime:"

The clerk cocked one bushy eyebrow but said, "No problem,
ma'am. Will you be dining with us as well?"

"That sounds heavenly" Crystal turned to Luke. "Would you
and Rusty care to join me at seven?"

Luke hesitated, so she added, "I'm paying"

"If you insist" He started counting out the money for the night's
stay.

"Excellent. I'll meet both of you at seven o'clock sharp," Crystal
said. A bellman appeared at her side and guided her up the carved
oak staircase as Luke arranged for dinner.

Crystal was delighted with her exquisite room on the fourth floor. She waited for the maid to prepare a hot bath and stood
looking out her own private window.

What a wonderful change from sleeping on a bedroll under
the stars. She was thrilled that she had her own water closet and
electricity provided by the hotel's own power system. She would
enjoy this night, she was sure.

There was a wonderful view of the bustling activity of 17th
Street below with vendors, streetcars, horses, and buggies. A stroll
after dinner would be a pleasant outing, if she could stay awake.
The gaslights were already casting a soft glow against the backdrop
of the mountains that lay west of Denver in the twilight. Crystal
could just imagine how beautiful it would look at Christmastime
with a blanket of snow.

"Ma'am, your bath is ready now. Would you like assistance?"
The maid stood near the bathroom with her hands clasped and
awaited further instructions. It was apparent from her disapproving looks that she did not consider Crystal a lady.

After a slight hesitation, Crystal shook her head, excused the
young girl, and started peeling off her grimy clothes. A few months
ago she would have expected and accepted assistance, but that
seemed long ago now.

"Ahh .. "Crystal groaned out loud when she stuck her feet in the
tub and then scooted down as far as she could until the soap suds
were up to her neck. Now this is close to heaven! This would ease the
sore muscles and make her feel like a woman once again. She had
packed her blue serge dress and hoped it would be appropriate for
the dining room. Her mouth was watering at the thought of dining
out instead of bythe campfire. She lay back and closed her eyes while
the hot water did its magic, and she was soon fast asleep.

Pounding on her door awakened her one hour later. The bath
water had long ago become cold. "Yes? Who is it?" she called out.

"Rusty, Miss Crystal. I'm here to fetch you for dinner as ordered
by Luke. Is everything okay?"

Crystal was mortified. She must have slept a very long time.
She reached for her towel, almost slipping down in the process,
and leaned against the door. "I'm so sorry. I guess I fell asleep.
Give me twenty minutes, and I'll be right down."

"He's runnin' late too. I'll be waitin' in the parlor."

"I'll hurry."

Luke snapped open his pocket watch and checked the time.
He had half an hour before he was to meet Rusty and Crystal for
dinner at the Oxford. He had bathed and shaved, then donned a
clean shirt and new waist overalls before strapping on his thick
black belt with its huge silver buckle. Then he tied a thin black
necktie in a neat knot around his throat and threw on his black
leather vest and hat.

He looked down at his boots. He had tried to polish them up a
bit, but they had seen too much wear and tear. As an afterthought,
he decided to wear his duster. Once the sun slipped below the
mountains, it would be much colder. He hoped they could get
back to Aspengold before snow closed the passes.

Well, who are you trying to impress, anyway? he reminded himself. He argued in his mind that it was because he'd been without
a real bath in a long time.

He had to hurry or he wouldn't have time to meet with Mr.
McCarthy. He wondered what an attorney could possibly want
with him.

Luke made his way down the boardwalk to the attorney's office,
his spurs making a faint jingling sound.

A bell jangled above the door as it swung open when Luke
entered the small, stuffy, book-lined office that smelled of cigars.
Stacks of papers and books surrounded an older man with round
spectacles that threatened to slide down his large, pink nose. When
he saw Luke, he struggled to his feet.

"You Luke Weber?" McCarthy asked in a rich Scottish brogue.
He lost no time in needless talk. Luke knew he had been expecting him and had stayed open until he arrived in Denver, as Luke
had requested.

"That's right" He extended his hand to shake McCarthy's in
a firm grasp. "I'm sorry that I was unable to get here until now,
but we've been pushing cattle down from the Yampa Valley. I
appreciate you staying open late. I must confess when I got your
telegram, I wasn't sure what you wanted with me, but it sounded
urgent."

"Well, matter of fact, it is. Katherine Morgan and I go way
back. Have a seat." He gestured toward the chair in front of the
desk. "I offer my condolences. I was very shocked to learn of her
unfortunate death."