Chapter 5
Anita and Kevin’s little restaurant wasn’t anything like what Clary had been used to in Indiana. Not that the small town she’d grown up in had much to offer in terms of fine dining. On the contrary, this was a fine establishment.
They were shown to a table near a window that looked out over the farmyard. As the sun set, they could see the cows and horses turning in for the night.
Anders and Mildred Cartwright were already seated at the table, waiting for them. They both rose and greeted her and Thomas as though they were old friends.
“I’m so glad you two could fit us into your schedule,” Mildred said, shaking Clary’s hand warmly.
“Well, my calendar is currently wide open,” Clary said, aiming for humor.
It seemed she hit the mark as Mildred laughed pleasantly at her comment.
“I’m sure Thomas will make a valiant effort to take up more of your time,” Mildred said with a sly wink.
Thomas had been speaking to Anders, and he completely missed the comment. When he found both women looking at him, he frowned. “What? Why are you two looking at me like that?”
“Oh, no reason,” Clary said, which only seemed to make him more curious, which in turn made Mildred smile and chuckle more.
“Let’s take our seats,” Anders said. “I’m keen to order.”
They took their seats at the round table, with Thomas on her one side and Mildred on her other. Anders sat across from her.
They opened a bottle of wine, which Anders had brought with him from New York, and then ordered starters and main meals. Clary had never seen such a lot of food.
“Just don’t tell Diane, whatever you do,” Mildred said, leaning closer conspiratorially. “She’s had Anders on a very strict diet and exercise regimen. He has terrible heartburn and indigestion, which we thought was a heart attack on the train out here. Can you imagine?”
Clary shook her head since her mouth was full.
“So, what do you plan to do with your time here?” Anders asked Clary. “I hear you brought two fine coaches. Are you planning to start a coach company?”
Clary swallowed and dabbed at her lips with her napkin. “I’m not sure. I thought about starting a route between Unity and San Antonio, but with the bandits shooting people and felling trees on the road, it might not be feasible.”
“Felling trees?” Mildred asked, horrified. “That must have scared you terribly.”
“It wasn’t pleasant, that’s for sure,” Clary said.
“Yes, we almost lost Ross,” Thomas said.
“How is he?” Clary asked. She should have checked in on him. However, with her sister, everything else always seemed to slip right out of her mind.
Thomas made a so-so gesture with his hand. “He’s stable. Diane says he will make a full recovery if nothing unexpected happens. So, if an infection doesn’t develop, that kind of thing.”
They were all sober for a while, eating in silence.
“So, with the San Antonio route out of the question for now, why not start a route to the farms and the smaller settlements around here?” Mildred asked. “Unity does a lot of business with the farmers. You could help them reach us and us reach them.”
“Not to mention helping us to get goods and people to come here,” Anders said. “It would be a big draw to have a stagecoach service in town. Especially for our hotel.”
Thomas chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Anders asked.
“Nothing,” Thomas said. “It’s just that it seems no matter where you go, business is the same.”
“It would be mutually beneficial,” Mildred insisted.
“I know. But it must be Clary’s decision to set up whichever routes she wants to.”
Clary, who liked the idea of getting her business started sooner rather than later, was very eager to hear more. “It’s okay, Thomas. I thought I would speak to the locals and find out which route they wanted anyway.”
“There, see?” Anders said brightly. “It’s all good and above board. We will open the hotel for folks to come and stay in, and she will bring them to Unity. What a marvelous idea.”
Thomas nodded. “You seem to have thought of everything. Except how dangerous even those routes can be. The bandits will realize what you’re doing eventually, and then every route in and out of here will be watched and attacked.”
“That’s a terribly negative attitude, Thomas,” Mildred admonished. “If we all thought like that, we wouldn’t have a hope of ever starting anything. We would be paralyzed with fear of what could happen.”
“I made my money in hotels,” Anders said.
“But I didn’t start out by building and owning them.
I started out by working in the laundry, and then in the kitchen, then as concierge and manager, and finally I had enough money and some investors to buy the hotel I worked in.
If I let the fears of what could go wrong get in the way, I would still be there in New York. ”
Thomas conceded the point but with a caveat. “I just meant that any way she went at the moment, things would be dangerous.”
They all agreed on that and dinner continued.
When they were done, Anders insisted on covering their meal.
“That’s very generous of you, Anders,” Thomas said. “Next time is on me.”
“And me,” Clary said, not wanting anyone to think that she couldn’t pay her way. Yes, her finances were tight at the moment, what with moving all the way to Texas, but she could pay for a meal.
“Of course,” Anders said. He and Mildred walked up the street to one of the houses and disappeared.
Thomas and Clary walked up the street to the boarding house, taking it slow.
There was no rush. At least not for Clary.
She was enjoying the evening. Despite its horrible beginning with her fight with Evelyn, her time with Thomas had been truly wonderful.
He was a kind, thoughtful person who had stuck up for her at dinner.
Not that she’d needed to be protected, but it was sweet that was his first reaction.
She hadn’t had anyone care about her like that in forever, it seemed.
It was a relief to find someone like Thomas, who was so effortlessly good.
She thanked God that she had found him. Moving out here was daunting, and yet it seemed to have been a good idea, and she meant to make the most of it. No matter what Evelyn did.
“What are you planning to do tomorrow?” Thomas asked her.
Clary thought about it. “I don’t know. I guess I’m going to spend part of the day repairing the coaches. No one likes to hire one with bullet holes in its panels.”
“Yes, I can see how that would send the wrong message to potential passengers,” Thomas said with a smile.
He was really handsome. There was no getting around it, and even the beard was growing on her.
Clary wasn’t used to people being so wonderful.
She found herself constantly trying to find Thomas’s major flaw.
There had to be one. Perhaps it was his constant caring nature.
Could that become overbearing? Could it be that he was too nice?
Or was she only seeing one side of him at the moment?
What flaw could a man like Thomas really have?
She was full of flaws, and he would have no trouble spotting them.
Would he stay though, once he saw them all?
That was another consideration. Would it be wise to give him her heart when he could fling it back at her at a moment’s notice when he saw something he didn’t like?
But she had a feeling that Thomas wasn’t like that and that when it came to a choice about giving him her heart, it had already been made.
When they reached the boarding house, Thomas gave her hand an affectionate squeeze as he said good night.
Clary liked that. He was being so polite. She had been hit on by more men than she cared to think about, riding beside her father. However, since she held the pistols, interest in her tended to wane quickly. It was so refreshing to be with a true gentleman.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Thomas said. “I’ll come by after work for a while.”
Clary nodded. “I’d like that very much.”
“Excellent,” he said, beaming. He strode down the path and walked up the street.
Clary went into the boarding house. There were voices coming from the dining room, and she poked her head in through the doorway. Mrs. Odenkirk and some of the other boarders were there, but no Evelyn.
“How was the dinner, dear?” Mrs. Odenkirk, a sweet old lady with iron-gray hair and thick spectacles perched on her nose, asked.
“It was really good,” Clary said, smiling. “Did my sister come down to dinner?”
“No, she hasn’t made a peep since … well, since earlier,” Mrs. Odenkirk said.
“Yes, sorry about that,” Clary said, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“It’s fine. Just don’t make a habit of it,” the old lady said with a stern look.
Clary nodded. “Well, I’m going to head up to bed.”
“Are you sure? We’re playing gin rummy. We can easily deal you in.”
“Oh no, thanks, I’m quite ready for bed,” Clary said.
She went upstairs and stopped outside Evelyn’s door. For a moment, she listened. There were no sounds at all from inside. Was Evelyn asleep? It was still quite early.
Clary was about to try the handle when she stopped herself.
Wasn’t that exactly the thing that Thomas had said she should avoid doing?
Yes, it was. She couldn’t let Evelyn make her own decisions and then check up on her all the time.
That wasn’t how it worked. If Evelyn was her own woman now, she would have to shoulder the consequences of her decisions herself. Clary would have to let her.
She stepped back from the door, lowering her hand.
“Fine. This is how it is now,” Clary said to the closed door.
Then she turned and walked to her own room.
The sunshine was bright and warm when Clary woke up the next morning. It came streaming in through a chink in the curtains that covered the window and landed on her hand. Her skin was warm, and she felt content, but for the life of her she couldn’t work out where she was.
It took a moment for her sleep-addled brain to put the pieces together. She was in Unity, in Mrs. Odenkirk’s boarding house, and this was her room. Evelyn was in the next room.
Evelyn.