Chapter 29
Ambling about town gave Lily the opportunity to finally get her bearings.
Wagons rattled up and down Buckboard Alley, some loaded with filled burlap sacks and wooden crates from the supply company on the corner. They avoided stepping in front of the laden vehicles, keeping to the side of the street and pointing out items of interest.
Maybe her active imagination gave Daisy the ability to see more than wood structures. She had a theory about what went on behind the front door of nearly every building they passed. How she thought of such wild things without any time to ponder mystified her older sister. She did, however, find the running commentary amusing.
“See that one? With the two grimy windows upstairs?” Her sister pointed with her chin, rather than a fingertip, as any well-bred woman would. “There’s a card hustler living up there, hiding away from daylight. He only emerges after dusk, and then he slinks along in the shadows, all the way to the saloon, where he increases his wealth by duping unsuspecting cowboys out of their wages.”
She surveyed the windows her sister indicated. They looked completely unremarkable, but she played along with the narrative.
“What does this cheating fellow eat? He must be starved by sundown.”
The other gave a slow nod. “Good of you to be considering the man’s hunger. Honestly, I wouldn’t’ve thought you’d care so much but you’re right, he is ravenous by sundown. But he dines well at the saloon and when no one’s looking he fills his vest pockets with sandwiches, so he’ll have something to eat the following day.”
Culpepper’s Boarding House stood at the far end of the street.
She tipped her head to the big building. “What about that place? I imagine it’s got all sorts behind its windows.”
“Indeed, it does. A boarding house is the scene of so many dramas, they’re almost too numerous to discuss.”
She did not attempt to conceal her amusement. As she leaned close, she threaded her arm through Daisy’s. “But I’m sure you can muster the effort to regale me with stories, can’t you? Why, sister, you’ve never failed at whipping up a tale.”
The other woman stopped walking and turned to meet her gaze. The luminous green eyes that had sparked conversation since her birth held open amazement.
“Lily, I have never seen you so…well, so, ah… It’s just that you’re usually not this, ah…”
She pulled her brows together. “What? Spit it out.”
“Sisterly!” Her younger sister placed her free hand over her mouth as her eyes rounded. “I’m sorry, that probably didn’t sound very nice at all, but you must admit, you don’t generally lark around with any of us. And me, never. Let’s not be shy about it, you barely tolerate me most days.”
The fun swept out of her like air leaving a balloon. When she tried to pull her arm from Daisy’s, the other held firm.
“No, you won’t get away like that, Lily. I know I made a huge mess of it but I’m trying to tell you that I like this…this sisterly fun makes my heart happy. I’ve always wished we could be this way.”
She swallowed around a lump that appeared without warning in her throat. She didn’t have the glibness of the other and words didn’t burst into her head. A nod, for now, and she took a step forward keeping her arm in her sister’s.
Shame washed over her. The truth in the other’s words were like a slap, but they were well-deserved. Partly, at least. She may have been less kind to the others but her stance as the first-born female in the family dictated she provide an example for them. That sense of duty was one of the things their parents had instilled in her, right from the moment her first sibling had been born. She carried the responsibility every day of her life along with the knowledge that she did her best not only for her sisters, but for Mother and Father, as well.
She had been harsher than necessary, though—and she realized it now. Whether the western climate or her delicate condition worked to change her attitude, she did feel a sense of kindness to the others that hadn’t been within her before.
Still, Daisy’s declaration of her non-sisterly behavior prior to this move prickled her. A bit. But not nearly as much as it would have a month ago.
She recognized the hopeful tone in her sister’s voice when she spoke again. “Look, Lily, the hotel. It’s pretty grand for a small town, don’t you think?”
They’d turned onto Wylder Street and stood across from the Wylder Hotel.
“It is. It surprised me that the place has a hotel at all, but I never thought to see one this large.” She gazed toward the upper windows, sweeping her attention over the flower boxes dripping pink and red blooms, and nodded. “Certainly grand in this setting.” She paused and looked over at her sister. “Maybe some time you’ll tell me stories about what’s going on in there.”
The other woman’s lips rose at the corners. “I’d like that, sister. Very much.”
“It’s settled then.” She swallowed hard. That pesky throat lump threatened to reappear. To their right, the mercantile. “How about we splurge on a few pieces of hard candy? My throat isn’t liking this dry climate and dust much. Something sweet will soothe, I think.”