“Mine were as well. They still are, and I believe it has made all the difference in seeing them through bad times, especially given my father’s serious nature.”
She stepped back. “You might as well come on inside. I’ll wake Da and see if he’s of a mind to eat a little, and then maybe you two can talk or play checkers.”
“I brought him some peppermints. He mentioned sometimes being nauseous, and I know peppermint can soothe the stomach.”
“That is very kind of you, Charlie. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have it.”
She led the way inside and placed the flowers on the table. “I’ll see to these in a moment.” She turned up the lantern and made her way to where her father slept.
“Da? It’s time for supper.”
He stirred and opened his eyes. Seeing her, his eyes lit up. Clancy’s love for Melody was evident in his expression.
“Da, Charlie’s come to see you. He’s brought you peppermint to calm your stomach.”
“Charlie. Good to see you,” Clancy managed to say.
“Good to see you. I thought if you were up to it, we might play a game of checkers.”
“We might at that.”
But Charlie could see the man had very little energy. His color was even more gray than it had been the day before.
“I have some soup for supper, Da. Won’t you let me help you to eat a little?” Melody asked.
Her father closed his eyes. “In a moment. I think I’d just like to rest a bit more.”
She looked at Charlie and nodded. “That’s all right, Da. You rest. Charlie and I will have a good long talk.” It appeared the man had already fallen back asleep.
Charlie followed Melody back to the table, where she was already taking up a large glass jar. She dipped out water from a bucket and poured it into the jar. Charlie watched as she arranged the flowers. He felt a great desire to take her away from all of this. She lived like a pauper, even though there was now plenty of money for her to draw on. This was the only life she had ever known—one of sacrifice and few extras. She didn’t even have a decent vase in which to place her flowers.
He wanted to change all of that for her. He wanted to give her a better life. A real home and furnishings. He wanted to dress her in beautiful things that would complement her delicate features. That thought made him smile. She couldn’t possibly be more beautiful than she was right now in her simple white blouse and navy skirt. She could have all the finery in the world, and it would pale compared to her natural beauty.
“You have such an odd look on your face, Charlie. Are you all right?”
He forced himself to focus on her words. “I’m just fine.Would you like me to go get us some dinner? I could take a couple of plates and have one of the restaurants fill them.”
She shook her head. “Soup is fine by me, Charlie. I don’t have much of an appetite. Seeing Da waste away, knowing he won’t be with me much longer ... well, food doesn’t seem so important.”
“But you can’t allow yourself to get sick. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be no use to your father.”
“I know you’re right.” She gave a sigh. “I just don’t know how to put it all aside and carry on as if nothing’s wrong. He’s always been there for me.” Tears came to her eyes. “Oh, Charlie, I don’t know how to be me without him.”
“You were all prepared to live in Cheyenne alone.”
She nodded. “I know. I was thinking about that. However, I always knew that Da would be just down the line. I knew he’d visit me, or I could go to him. I just figured he’d always be around. Now when I think of living in Cheyenne alone ... it terrifies me.”
He came closer and took Melody into his arms. “I know it’s not the same as having your father nearby, but you have good friends. Be assured of that, Melody.” He pulled her closer. “And you have me. I love you.” He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her for a very long moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him as though she might fall away if she let go. Charlie trailed kisses on her cheek and whispered against her ear, “You’ll never be alone.”
Jefferson paced the hotel room floor. He had to wait until morning—until the stage was ready to pull out of Cheyenne for Denver. He should have timed things better, but he hadbeen in a hurry. Since it was Friday, he knew Decker would be away from the bank for two days. That would give Jefferson time to get away, taking with him a little more than a thousand dollars. He’d hoped to get more, but the larger safe was inaccessible. Still, one thousand dollars was a lot of money, and it would see him well on his way to a better future.
He forced himself to sit and stretched his arms over his head. Decker had fired him but neglected to take his keys. Jefferson had thought immediately of returning to give them back, but then the idea of robbing the bank had been too much of a temptation. The small safe was the one Jefferson used daily while employed. He’d known there would be no chance of getting to the large safe in Decker’s office. So once Decker had left for the day, Jefferson made his way to the bank and simply took what he could.
He smiled to himself at the thought of Decker showing up Monday morning to find he’d been robbed. Jefferson wondered if he’d immediately think his former employee was the culprit, especially since the front door would be locked and secured. Perhaps Charlie would forget about Jefferson having a set of keys. Maybe he’d presume someone had picked the lock to gain entry. That’s what Jefferson hoped. He’d been very careful to leave everything seemingly untouched. That way when the town deputies made their rounds, they would see nothing amiss, even if they checked the lock. There would be nothing and no one to suggest a problem until Monday.
By Monday, Jefferson would be long gone. Gone with a thousand dollars. And given the plans he had for hiding away, no one would ever find him. He would be just fine for as long as it took.
The pure pleasure of imagining Charles Decker’s facewas enough to keep Jefferson entertained throughout the evening. It would only be better if he could have remained in town to see the man’s reaction in person. Jefferson had thought of hiding the money and then returning to Cheyenne, but he was sick of the town and the people. No, the sooner he was out of here, the better. He would eventually head back east to bigger opportunities, and one day he’d be as rich—maybe richer—than his father. Then he wouldn’t need anyone. He’d be the one in charge. He’d be the one ordering people around.
