Waiting for Spring (8 page)

Charlotte couldn't help it. She chuckled as she stared at the man who stood so close that she could smell the bay rum on his cheeks. Listening to Miriam's description of him, Charlotte had believed Barrett to be like Jeffrey. He wasn't. Jeffrey would never have mocked his station in life, especially if it was such an exalted one. Jeffrey would have found a way to ensure that everyone knew that he lived in a mansion, and Charlotte doubted that he would have done his own procurement, as Barrett called it.

“I have to disagree with you. Your house is not excessively ornate,” she said firmly. “I find it tasteful and remarkably restrained.” Though the three-story brick building boasted four chimneys and an equal number of bay windows, not to mention a turret, nothing about it seemed ostentatious. Compared to some of the other cattle barons' houses, it could almost be described as modest. “I can't disagree with one part of your description, though. Your home is large, especially compared to my lodging.” She accompanied the last sentence with a gesture toward the second floor of the building.

“That's right. I heard you lived above your shop.”

“With Mrs. Amos and her daughter.” Charlotte couldn't help smiling at the irony. “Four of us live in a fraction of the space you own.”

The instant the words were out of her mouth, Charlotte winced. Perhaps she would be fortunate and Barrett wouldn't notice that she'd said “four.”

“Four people?” It was not her lucky day. “Who's there besides you, Mrs. Amos, and her daughter?”

There was no way out of the predicament save the truth.
“My son,” she said. Oddly, she felt a sense of relief once she'd made the admission. Barrett Landry was not the baron. She had no reason to fear him.

Barrett frowned, but Charlotte couldn't tell whether it was because of her words or the cloud that chilled the air and made her shiver. “You're fortunate to have Mrs. Amos and the children. My house can be lonely, but I doubt you have that problem.”

“Indeed, I don't. David sees to that.”

“David's your son?”

“Yes. He's a very special boy.”

Barrett appeared intrigued, and for a second Charlotte expected him to ask her why her son was special. Instead, he said only, “Perhaps I can meet him someday.”

“Perhaps.” It was the polite response, even if it would never happen. Though she had made a major step forward by admitting David's existence to this man, she was not ready to expose her son to potential scorn. Barrett appeared to be kind, but there was no way of knowing how he would react if he learned that David was blind. As a cool breeze swept down the street, Charlotte shivered again. “If you'll excuse me, I need to buy a few items before I turn into an icicle.”
And I want to end this discussion of my son.

Seconds later, she was inside the store. A quick glance told her there were no other customers, and so she walked briskly toward the back counter, where the proprietor greeted her with a broad smile.

“I saw you talking to Mr. Landry.” No more than medium height, Mr. Yates looked smaller than that because of his thin frame and stooped shoulders.
Weary
was the adjective Charlotte normally applied to him, and yet this afternoon
his gray eyes sparkled with what appeared to be amusement. “Landry's a good man. He bought shirts from me when he first came to Wyoming, and he still comes here, even though he could shop anywhere. A good man,” Mr. Yates repeated, almost as if he realized that Charlotte needed the assurance. “Now, what can I get for you?”

“David needs new socks. I'm afraid I haven't had time to knit.”

Shaking his head, the man who seemed older than the sixty-five years he acknowledged reached for a box of children's socks. “Prudence used to say that knitting relaxed her, but I don't imagine you have time to relax.”

“Unfortunately, you're right.” She'd been busy before, but now that she was remaking Miriam's old gowns for Mrs. Kendall's boarders, Charlotte had even less time. Perhaps it was foolish, not telling Gwen what she was doing, but Charlotte knew that Élan's cachet would be compromised if anyone learned she was providing gowns to the city's less fortunate. While Gwen would never intentionally tell anyone, she might let something slip. And so Charlotte sewed in her room late at night, knowing that the light would not disturb David.

“I'm not complaining,” she told Mr. Yates. “Business is good, and needing socks gives me an excuse to visit you.” Charlotte took her time, choosing two pair each of brown and black stockings, darting occasional glances at the proprietor. It was as she had feared. Though Mr. Yates had appeared chipper when she'd entered the store, his demeanor changed when he didn't realize she was watching him. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “You look a bit glum.”

His eyes clouded as he nodded slowly. “Nothing's the same without Prudence.” His wife of more than forty years had
died six months before Charlotte arrived in Cheyenne, and Gwen, who had known the elderly man for the half dozen years she had been in Wyoming, claimed that the difference in the man's attitude had been dramatic. “It's like he lost his zest for living,” Gwen had said. “Poor man.” That was one of the reasons the two women insisted that Mr. Yates join them for Sunday dinner a couple times each month. Even though David's and Rose's antics tired him, Charlotte knew he enjoyed both Gwen's cooking and their company.

“Some days I don't even want to get out of bed,” Mr. Yates admitted. “My sister down in Arizona keeps telling me I should move there. She says the weather would be kinder to these old bones.” He frowned as he calculated the cost of Charlotte's purchase. When she'd handed him the few coins, he said, “The trouble is the store. I don't want to sell it to just anyone, not when Prudence and I worked so hard to turn it into a success. I want someone who'll do right by the customers.” Mr. Yates paused for a moment, his expression lightening. “I don't suppose you'd be interested in taking over, would you?”

“I wish I could.” Charlotte's heart went out to Mr. Yates and his dilemma. He had once told her and Gwen that since he and Prudence had had no children, the store was their only legacy, and they had hoped it would continue, even when they were both gone. “I don't know anything about running a store like this,” she said, wishing she had another answer for her neighbor. “It's much different from Élan.” And then there was the money. She had none to spare.

The gleam in the shopkeeper's eyes faded. “I figured you'd say that.” As his lips tightened, he nodded slowly. “It'll be all right. I'll figure something out.”

Charlotte wished she were as confident.

 5 

C
harlotte retrieved a hat pin. Though the plain black bonnet with the heavy veil that would hide her face fit well, she would take no chance of the wind dislodging it. Once her arms were filled with packages, she would be unable to clasp the hat if it started to shift. Fortunately, this early in the morning, the wind had diminished. Even more importantly, David and Gwen were still asleep, and there would be few people on the streets. Few if any would see her, and anyone who did would not realize that it was Madame Charlotte who was approaching the boardinghouse. That was why she had chosen 5:30 as the time to make her delivery. Gwen had mentioned that Mrs. Kendall started breakfast preparations at that time but that none of her boarders entered the kitchen until close to an hour later. If Charlotte hurried, she'd be gone less than half an hour, and neither David nor Gwen would know that she'd left. But, just in case David wakened, Charlotte had left a note in her room, telling Gwen she'd be back soon.

Tiptoeing, she made her way to the door, closing it as quietly as she could. Moments later, she'd descended the stairs and was headed south on Ferguson. Mrs. Kendall's boardinghouse was less than three blocks away, and yet as Charlotte turned onto 15th Street, she felt as if she'd entered a different city. There were no fancy houses or shops like Élan here. Instead, the ramshackle buildings were testaments to despair and deprivation. It was no wonder Gwen had been anxious to escape.

Charlotte scanned the street, looking for the drunkards Gwen had claimed were all too often present. The Lord must have been watching over her, for Charlotte saw no one. She increased her pace, walking as quickly as she could without breaking into a run. While the widow's weeds that she'd chosen as her disguise had a fuller skirt than was currently fashionable, they would not accommodate running.

There were no streetlamps here, perhaps because the city fathers had no desire to encourage the establishments that lined this block, but Charlotte saw the light of a kerosene lantern in the back room of the second house. It was just as Gwen had described it.

Though she shivered from a combination of cold and apprehension, Charlotte knocked firmly on the kitchen door. Seconds later, an almost skeletally thin woman opened the door a crack.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Even in this part of town, it was unusual for a woman to be out so early.

Mrs. Kendall looked to be a year or two shy of forty, an inch or two shorter than Charlotte's five and a half feet, her hair a shade or two lighter brown than Gwen's. Though the voluminous apron covered most of her dress, Charlotte's
trained eye recognized the style as one that had been popular almost a decade ago, and the faded line along the hem left no doubt that it had been turned more than once. It wasn't only the boarders who needed clothing. None of the frocks she had brought with her would fit Mrs. Kendall, but Charlotte resolved that when she returned, she would have a new dress for the woman who had been so kind to Gwen.

As Mrs. Kendall's eyes narrowed, Charlotte held out the packages. “I brought some clothes for your boarders.”

The woman blinked in surprise. “I wasn't expecting nobody and no clothes.” She gave Charlotte an appraising glance before nodding. “You might as well come on in.”

Charlotte found herself in a kitchen so cramped that she wondered how Mrs. Kendall managed to cook for more than a dozen women. The stove was smaller than average, with only three burners. No wonder she wakened early. Even a juggler would have trouble preparing eggs, sausage, potatoes, and coffee here.

Mindful of the ticking clock and the need to return before David stirred, Charlotte unwrapped the dresses, spreading them on the large table that occupied most of the room. “I didn't know what sizes you might need, but I hope these will fit some of your boarders.” When she'd altered Miriam's gowns, Charlotte had shortened one and let out the seams in another, guessing that the boarders were not all as thin as Miriam.

Mrs. Kendall stared at the four frocks that covered her table. Gingerly, she fingered the fabric, her eyes brightening when she touched the smooth poplin.

“They're beautiful, ma'am, but I can't pay what they're worth. I ain't got much money, and neither do my gals.”

Charlotte shook her head. “I don't want any money. They're a gift.”

Mrs. Kendall stroked the poplin almost reverently. “A gift? For us?”

Charlotte nodded.

Still dubious, Mrs. Kendall lifted her eyebrows. “No strings attached?”

“None. And if you tell me what other sizes you could use, I'll bring more.”

The older woman swallowed deeply, as if she were trying to control her emotions. “I'm much obliged, ma'am. Some of my gals ain't got decent clothes. They'll be mighty pleased to get these.” She looked at Charlotte, her curiosity apparent. “Who are you?”

“Just a widow who wants to help.”

Barrett strode back and forth in front of the depot, listening for the humming of the rails that would announce the incoming train. When he'd lived in Pennsylvania, black smoke had been the first sign, but Wyoming's prevailing westerly winds meant that trains from the East had no visual harbingers. He pulled out his watch, checking it for what seemed like the hundredth time. As he did, Barrett let out a short laugh. If his watch was correct, the train wasn't due for another ten minutes. It was only his own eagerness to see Harrison that had brought him here so early. Harrison would laugh at the notion that his youngest brother, the same one who'd once described him as the scourge of the earth, all because he'd refused to share his slingshot, was excited about his visit.

Striding past the existing depot, Barrett inspected the one
that was taking shape. Workers scurried around the site of the new train station, but progress seemed slow compared to the speed with which his house had been built. Still, when the new depot was complete, it would be a much-needed improvement over the simple frame structure that served the city now. Barrett had seen the design, and he liked it. No doubt about it, the large red sandstone edifice with the arched windows and the tall clock tower would be impressive.

Warren had speculated that one reason the legislature was in such a hurry to construct a capitol building was that they didn't want to be outdone by the Union Pacific. Whatever the motive, ground had been broken on the territory's new capitol only last month.

The two buildings that were being constructed at the opposite ends of Hill Street had few things in common. The capitol was square and symmetrical and would boast a gilded dome, whereas the depot was Romanesque in design. And though both were being built of sandstone, the capitol's was gray, not red. Different styles, different purposes, and yet both would enhance Cheyenne's position as an important stop on the Union Pacific Railroad and the capital of Wyoming Territory.

The city's future was bright, and if Richard and Warren were correct, so was his own. What concerned Barrett today was his immediate future. His oldest brother, the one whose shoes Barrett had been told he would never be able to fill, was about to arrive. He pulled out his watch again and grinned. One minute left. If the UP's reputation for punctuality held, his brother would be here within sixty seconds.

Precisely on schedule, the train pulled into the station, and passengers began to disembark. Three women, their
shoulders slumped with fatigue, were the first to step onto the platform. Then came a burly man whom Barrett would have recognized anywhere. He was heavier than the last time Barrett had seen him, his jowls more prominent, and yet the face still bore a distinct resemblance to the one Barrett saw in the mirror each morning. Folks had always said you could recognize a Landry at fifty paces. He wondered if that was true of Charlotte's family. Surely her sisters could not be as lovely as she.

Barrett shook himself mentally. This was not the time to be thinking about Charlotte, no matter how beautiful she was, no matter how often he replayed their conversations. His brother was descending the iron steps.

“I never thought I'd see this,” Barrett said as he clapped Harrison's shoulder, “but it's true. You're here. You've come all the way to the wild Wyoming Territory.”

Only an inch shorter than Barrett, Harrison had the same dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. Right now those eyes were sparkling, and his lips twisted in a wry smile. “You didn't leave me much choice, little brother. Camden and I figured you'd be back within a year, once you realized you weren't cut out for this life. Looks like we were wrong. It's been five years, and you haven't shown any signs of coming to your senses. I reckoned that if I wanted to see you, I'd have to come here. So, here I am.” This was vintage Harrison. Whereas other men spoke in terse sentences, Harrison rambled on for paragraphs.

Harrison looked around, his expression giving no clue to his reaction to Barrett's new hometown. If he judged Cheyenne by the seedy hotels and saloons west of the depot on 15th, he would be making a mistake. Every city had its less
than desirable section, and this was Cheyenne's. Rather than say anything, Barrett decided to let Harrison form his opinions once he'd seen the whole town. Instead, he addressed his brother's last comment.

“I meant to go back. For a visit,” Barrett clarified. “The time never seemed right.” It was an excuse. He could have found time for a trip to Northwick, if he'd wanted to. The truth was, he hadn't wanted to return until he had everything: wealth, a wife, a glittering future. He doubted his brothers would understand. They'd seemed puzzled when he'd tried to explain his need to leave home, and though their letters had said little, he had sensed their bewilderment over his decision to raise cattle and remain in the West. Barrett had wanted everything to be settled before he faced Harrison and Camden again. Especially Harrison. The man had always been outspoken, believing that, as the oldest son, he knew what was best for everyone. Barrett doubted that had changed in the past five years. Fortunately, his plans were in place, even if he hadn't executed them all. No matter what Harrison said, Barrett would not change his mind.

“Speaking of the right time,” Barrett said as the porter wheeled Harrison's trunk toward the wagon, “it's good that you arrived today. The old-timers are claiming we're in for some snow tomorrow.” If it did snow, Harrison would have a surprise. He'd soon learn that winters in Wyoming were unlike those back East.

When the trunk was loaded into the back of the wagon, Barrett headed west one block to Ferguson. Though his brother spoke of inconsequential things, by the time they'd reached 19th Street, his tone had changed.

“Cheyenne's not what I expected,” Harrison said as they
passed the ornate home that many called Castle Dare. With its towers and crenellated roof, it was reported to be a replica of a European castle.

Barrett tried not to smile. “Were you envisioning tumbledown wooden shanties?”

“Maybe.” A shrug accompanied Harrison's response. “I know you told us it was a wealthy city, but I thought you were exaggerating. These are mansions.” He gestured toward the houses on both sides of the street. “Who lives here?”