Page 5

T he bright sun coming through the window warmed Daisy’s face the next morning and woke her from a deep sleep.

She threw her feather pillow over her head and turned over to find Lily sleeping soundly right beside her.

The smell of bacon and coffee wafted up the stairs and reminded her of the many, many breakfasts she had served to a client each morning at the Paradise.

She would sit across from him in her snow-white dressing gown and share a meal before Jems escorted him with the other six men off the Paradise property and locked the gate behind them.

“Whatever you are thinking about could give you premature wrinkles,” Lily said.

Daisy jerked her head around to see that Lily was now awake and propped up on an elbow.

“The Paradise and Jems. I miss him as much as I do Miz Raven,” Daisy said with a sigh.

“Do you miss waking up to a snoring man beside you?” Lily asked.

Daisy shivered. “I do not!”

Lily nodded toward the open window with the wind billowing the curtain out. “It sounds like the town is waking up out there, and it’s not nearly as hot as it was when we arrived.”

“I don’t think this place ever went to sleep. The music from the saloon played until dawn,” Daisy said.

Lily sat up and then pushed the thin sheet back from her body.

“Let’s find some breakfast and then go for a walk to see if we can find an empty building for sale or rent, or maybe a house.

I don’t want to stay in this hotel any longer than I have to.

I feel like someone is listening to every word I say. ”

Daisy slung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “Those two precious little girls have been on my mind. I hope that evil man didn’t beat them.”

“Surely that woman—What was her name? Oh, yes, Alma—wouldn’t let him physically hurt them. No mother would do that,” Lily said.

“I hope not—but if he did, I hope God strikes him dead,” Daisy said as she began to get dressed.

“We should do what we can before the afternoon sun heats everything up to a boiling point. We’ll want to come back here and have a bit of lunch before we shuck out of as much clothing as we can for an afternoon rest.”

Lily poured water into the basin, washed her face, and dressed in her walking suit—a long, dark green skirt over a petticoat, topped off with a lighter green shirtwaist that had a high collar and long sleeves.

Daisy wore a navy skirt with a pale-blue-and-white-striped shirtwaist. “Do we look like businesswomen?” she asked as she gathered up her thick, blond hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and secured her hat with some long pins.

“I hope so.” Lily opened the bedroom door. “If things don’t work out here, maybe we’ll go on to Nechesville with Holly, Iris, and Jasmine.”

Daisy followed her out into the hallway and down the stairs. “Or Jacksonville with Poppy and Rose—but I bet that Miz Raven had her reasons for sending us here.”

“I hope so,” Lily said with a smile. “I’m ready to settle down and—”

“Find a husband?” Daisy teased.

“That is the last thing on my list to want or even to look for,” Lily growled.

“Do I hear some spunk?” Daisy asked.

“Your attitude is rubbing off on me.”

Frank Calvin waved from the middle of the dining room. “Are you ladies interested in having breakfast? If so, just choose any empty table.”

“Yes, we are—and would you know of any places in town where we might put in a seamstress shop?” Lily asked as she crossed the room to a table beside the open window.

“Only store that’s empty right now is the old hardware store,” he said. “The preacher who was here last night owns it. His father-in-law passed a couple of years ago and left everything he owned to his daughter. Preacher Joshua might sell it to you, but ...” He paused.

Lily bristled and asked, “But what?”

He fiddled with his thin mustache. “Is it right that you are old maids?”

“I’m twenty-three and Daisy is twenty-four.

That hardly makes us ‘old maids,’” Lily barked.

“But if the property belongs to a woman, why would she have misgivings about selling to other women to put in a legitimate business? A law was passed last year that said a married woman could own her own property.”

“Her father died two years ago before that bill was passed.” The man then lowered his voice. “I’m not one to gossip, but I don’t know how Alma stands that man ... Enough about that. What can I bring you ladies?” He pulled out a chair for Lily and then one for Daisy.

“That would be great, Mr. Calvin, and thanks for telling us about the property,” Daisy said.

“Alma was raised up in that store.” He lingered beside their table.

“She and her parents had living quarters in the back. I was told there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a sitting room. Might work well for y’all if Joshua sells it to you.

Would you be interested in the regular breakfast?

Bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy with a side of fried potatoes?

Or just the light one of a tall stack of pancakes? ”

“Bring us two of the regular. Thank you, Mr. Calvin,” Daisy said.

“You may call me Frank,” he said with half a grin.

“Sir, we do not know you well enough to call you by your first name,” Lily told him.

“Very well.” He tipped up his chin a notch. “Hope things go well for you. I have to go wait on our new judge, Mr. Wesley Martin. He was just given the job last year,” he said before he hurried off to where a tall, dark-haired man had taken a seat by the window.

“Sweet Jesus!” Daisy gasped.

Lily leaned forward. “What brought that on?”

“If ... And it is ...,” Daisy stammered, feeling the blood drain from her face until a certain flicker of courage ignited.

“Are you all right?” Lily frowned.

“Evidently, we did not get far enough from Spanish Fort,” Daisy whispered, “but then, maybe ...”

“I’m still lost.” Lily’s frown deepened. “Do you see someone in this place that can help us get around the preacher? Or is something or someone else making you talk in riddles?”

“The Lord giveth. I just hope he doesn’t take away.” Daisy finally smiled. “See that man Mr. Calvin ran over to help?”

“Yes, but what has he got to do with anything?”

“Like I said, we didn’t get as far from the Paradise as we thought.” Daisy stood up and made her way across the room.

“Hello, do you remember me, Wesley?” she asked.

Lily blinked several times, but the scene didn’t change. Daisy had blatantly walked right up to a man’s table and was talking to him in a low voice. Thank goodness no one else was in the dining room, or the gossip would spread quicker than a Texas wildfire.

The man’s dark brown eyes looked like they might pop out of his skull and roll around on the polished floor like marbles. “Daisy? Why ...? How ...?”

Lily could see the confusion in his eyes and read his lips. Oh! My! Goodness! she thought when she realized he had known Daisy in the past. She leaned forward and strained to catch a word or two of what they were saying.

“I’m going to live here,” she whispered.

“As . . . ,” he gasped.

“As a seamstress and milliner. My cousin, Lily, and I are looking for a place to set up shop,” she said. “I understand the Preacher Joshua Jones has property for sale, but he seems to have reservations about selling to two unmarried ladies.”

“You’re not going—”

Daisy cut him off with a shake of her head. “Not at all, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t ever mention the nights we shared at the Paradise, either.”

Lily leaned back in her chair. The past had caught up with them after all, but bold Daisy was in the process of taking care of things.

“So, you want the old hardware store,” he asked, “and if I buy it and then sell it to you, neither of us will talk about Spanish Fort, right?”

Lord have mercy! Both she and Daisy could easily end up in jail for blackmailing a judge.

She could hear Miz Raven’s voice giggling in her head. But then he would have to come clean about what his past relationship was to Daisy .

Lily leaned forward again so she could hear better. Daisy smiled at her motion, and Lily suspected she wasn’t as subtle about eavesdropping as she’d thought.

“I’ve heard that the pious Mr. Jones wouldn’t want to sell to a couple of unmarried women.”

“I will talk to Preacher Jones today. Come by the courthouse Monday morning,” the judge snapped. “Too bad that law hadn’t been passed when Alma inherited the store—but then, she would have probably signed everything over to Joshua anyway. He’s got that poor woman under his thumb pretty tightly.”

“We understand each other perfectly, Judge ,” Daisy said, dragging out the title into several syllables. “And would you mind leaving your newspaper on my table when you leave?”

“Why do you want my newspaper?” His tone was so cold that Lily could practically feel the chill reaching across the room.

“So that if anyone sees us talking, there won’t be rumors. I’m merely asking for your paper to see if I can find a building listed where we can put in a shop. For now, I’m going to leave you alone before rumors get started.”

“I’ll see you Monday,” Wesley said through clenched teeth.

“What was that all about?” Lily whispered when Daisy returned to their table.

“Judge Wesley Martin will see us Monday morning,” Daisy said with a smile.

“I heard enough of the conversation to know that you could spend the rest of your life in jail for blackmailing a judge.” Lily clamped her mouth shut when she realized Mr. Calvin was coming across the room with two plates of food.

He set one each in front of Lily and Daisy. “I saw you talking to the judge. Are you related to him?”

Daisy unfolded a napkin and placed it in her lap. “No, and it was brazen of me, but I was asking if we might have his newspaper when he finished with it. I thought there might be a listing for a property or maybe a house for sale. Plus, we like to keep up with what’s going on in the world.”

“Well, enjoy your breakfast, and good luck on finding a place,” he said.