Chapter 31
The packages were tucked beneath her arm. They’d wait to enjoy the candy until they were home, to save themselves from having it covered in road dust. Besides, despite being in the west, there were social standards to be observed. They couldn’t very well mosey through town sucking on candy sticks like two schoolgirls.
Lily tipped her head toward a small building across the street. It appeared to have two businesses in it. The sign that said Mining Office—T. Harvey caught her eye.
“That must be where Thomas works.” She slowed, to get a good look at the place, but there wasn’t much to see. The building looked well-kept, with a good roof and painted siding. A window box overflowed with blue wildflowers.
“Looks respectable.” Her sister tilted her head and added, “Not exactly the brick-front buildings we’re used to, but it’s certainly not bad at all. I really expected there to be tumble-down buildings and rotting carcasses out here. This is not what I thought it would look like in Wylder.”
She shook her head. “You do have quite the imagination. Rotting carcasses, indeed! But if that’s what we found I would’ve had all three of us on the next stagecoach back to civilization.”
“Then it’s a good thing we didn’t find any of that.” Daisy giggled.
“It is.”
They walked slowly. Without a destination or schedule, the leisure to look into windows, admire displays, and soak in the town’s flavor afforded them time to dawdle.
She tried to note the shops that might come in handy for future reference. If she were going to make her home here, she needed to stop relying on Violet for directions. She had to find her own way.
A thought had worried her mind for the past few days. Now, she broached the subject.
“I’m thinking that I can’t stay with Violet indefinitely. I mean, you can, being younger and all, but it doesn’t seem quite right for me to impose on her in that teeny house for too long.”
The other woman stopped dead in her tracks. When she turned to face her sister, the look on her face left no room for interpretation. She’d shocked her to her core.
“You can’t be serious. Mother and Father would want us to stick together—the Bloom sisters, we aren’t meant to be separated.”
If she’d thought the topic would cause such distress, she’d have kept it to herself. But they were already in the thick of it with no turning back now.
“Our parents would want me to make my own way, to find a place that is large enough to offer my sisters shelter if they ever need it. They would expect me to decide what to do with my life and find a reputable way to make a living.” When she said it out loud, it sounded overwhelming. “That’s what I plan to do.”
“We’re all finally beginning to behave like sisters. Why can’t that be enough for now?”
She took a deep breath but kept the truth from emerging from her mouth. The house couldn’t accommodate one more person and in no time there would be another Bloom in this world. The reality of her situation couldn’t be ignored for long.
But upsetting Daisy on such a nice day, when they were getting along so well, served no purpose. She patted her sister’s hand and urged her to walk forward.
“You’re right. Pay no attention to me, thinking out loud that way. Let’s change the subject.”
The other woman didn’t need any urging. She dropped her head closer and lowered her voice. “Did you hear those two women? I wish I’d gotten a look at them, but I bet I’ll recognize the loud one’s voice if I hear it again.”
“Impossible not to hear them. And me, too. I’ll know her by her voice.” She shook her head. They’d come to the end of the wooden walkway, so she stopped and scanned the street. A few wagons rumbled in the distance, but safe to cross here so she stepped out. “Horrid the way they gossiped like that, right in the middle of the mercantile where anyone could hear them. Let’s not say anything to Violet. There’s no reason to upset her.”
“I agree. She doesn’t need to know she has neighbors who are—”
A horse pulled up a few feet in front of them. Beside it, a second horse. Their sudden appearance caused both women to stop in the middle of the street.
She looked up and instantly recognized the pair. They were the ones Theo chased off his land. In town, they looked as dirty and disagreeable as they had at his place.
Unhurried movement inched her right hand down her side and into her skirt pocket. When her fingers wrapped around the small pistol she took a deep breath.
“Well, lookee here.” The man spat a stream of tobacco juice into the street. “If it ain’t the pretty lady that was standin’ on a porch recently.”
She tugged on Daisy’s arm. “Come on, this way.”
They walked to the side, hoping to go around and continue on, but the men urged their horses to move forward.
Heat flooded her cheeks. How dare they impede their movement—and right on the main street in broad daylight. This could not be tolerated.
She squared her shoulders and met the spitting man’s gaze.
“You are in our way. Please move so we can get by.”
He snorted, a disagreeable noise. The expression on his pock-marked, grimy face scared her. His eyes were dark and blank, as if he didn’t have one ounce of feeling in him.
“Now is that any way to talk to a friend?”
“We are not friends, sir. Now please let us pass.”
She tried to step around them and again they moved their horses two feet ahead.
Daisy opened her mouth to speak but Lily cut her off. These men didn’t have ears fit to hear her sisters’ voices, and she wouldn’t allow it now.
“You must let us pass or I will go for the sheriff.”
“Well, now ain’t that somethin’ to be afeared of.” He turned to the silent man, who sneered. “Looks like the lady has more gumption than her man.”
“I’m going for the sheriff.” She took a step back. The law office might be anywhere in this little town, she had no way of knowing, but it didn’t matter. They needed to get away.
“Now wait a minute, don’t go gettin’ your britches in a twist. No need for that. Just let your man know that we aim to sell that land next to his and he’d better get used to the idea.” He spat again. “Or else!”
The two men turned their horses and, without one backward glance, rode down the street toward the boarding house. She wondered if they were staying at Culpepper’s and thought of going to find the sheriff to tell him what happened. Then she pushed it all aside. They weren’t in Charleston anymore. She’d best get used to that, fast.
“Lily, who were those vile men?” Her sister’s eyes were, thankfully, not fear-filled but angry. “They were disgusting—and how dare they hold us up like that?”
She urged her sister toward the other side of the street. A wagon lumbered their way, and she didn’t want to be caught in the middle any longer.
“They were out on Theo’s property when he took me to see his place. It seems there’s a piece adjacent to his that’s exceptionally nice and has some interest.” She thought it must be truly special to have caught this much attention. “They were ornery with him, but worse with us. Again, I don’t think you should say anything to Violet. I don’t want her to worry.”
“I won’t but you have to promise to stay away from them.”
“Oh, no worries there. I’d like to never see them again as long as I live.”
They strolled the far side of the street, scanning storefronts once more. She wanted her sister to put the unfortunate experience out of her mind but being unfamiliar with town she couldn’t guess which store would provide a diversion.
As luck would have it, she saw Lin step out of a small shop to their left. The pretty woman looked up and down the street and smiled when she spotted them.
“Oh, two of the Bloom sisters. So nice to see you in town.”
Lily glanced at the sign above the door. Wei’s Gemstones.
The door opened and a Chinese man stepped out. Trim, handsome, with big brown eyes and a wide smile, he stopped beside Lin.
“I saw you from inside my shop and had to come meet you. I see the family resemblance and know that you must be the two newly arrived Bloom sisters.” He tipped his head in greeting. “I am Liu Wei, at your service.”
His manners were impeccable and made Lily feel entirely at ease.
She nodded. “It is our pleasure to meet you, Mister Liu. I’m Lily and this is my sister, Daisy.”
He nodded to each, met their gazes, and smiled. “Two more beautiful flowers to add to Wylder’s garden. I am very honored to meet you both.”
His gaze lingered on hers for a long moment and in that instant it felt as if the man could see beneath her skin. The sensation surprised her. A small smile played around the corners of his lips.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, but we should get going.” Daisy threaded her arm through Lily’s and gave a gentle tug. “Shouldn’t we, sister?”