Chapter 16

"I'm glad you felt you could stop by," Marybeth said as Melody headed for the front door. "I'm just as sorry as I can be about your father. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help."

"I will, but I doubt there will be anything. Da is spending more and more time in bed. He just doesn't have the strength to do otherwise. While he sleeps, I cook or bake and clean. Sometimes I just sit by his side and watch him breathe. I know he wouldn't want me to do that, but I can't help it. When things were good, Da would almost always go out on Friday nights, to a fight or just to see the fellas, and he always invited me to come." She paused and tried her best to contain her emotions. "Now I wish I'd gone more often."

"Bye-bye," Carrie interrupted, wrapping her arms around Melody's legs. "I wuv you, Melwedy."

"I love you too, Miss Carrie." Melody hugged her back.

"Are you sure you won't stay and have supper with Carrie and me? Edward's gone off on his shift, so it'll just be the two of us. I'll be glad when he switches to daytime hours. It's coming soon, but not soon enough to please me." She paused to look at the clock on the mantel. "Look, it's already five forty. You don't want to have to be cooking something now."

"I'll be fine. I made some soup, and I want to try and get Da to eat something."

Marybeth pulled Carrie away. "You go play for a little bit in your room, and then we'll eat." Carrie skipped off across the room without another word. Marybeth touched Melody's arm. "Just know that no matter what happens, you have a home with us anytime you need it."

"The Taylors stopped by and told me the same thing. I'm relieved not to have to worry about that much. Charlie has been so good to help too. He's really been the best of friends to me and Da. Da likes him a lot, and they play checkers when Da is up to it."

"Charlie seems like a very good man."

Melody nodded. "I think so. I like him very much."

"Perhaps if things were different..." Marybeth left the rest unsaid, but Melody completely understood.

"Yes."

She headed for home, thinking about asking Dr. Scott to come by and see Da. She knew her father's time was passing far too quickly. It might comfort him to speak with the pastor. Knowing Da, however, he'd probably already discussed everything with the man in order to plan out the funeral arrangements. That would be like her father.

Remembering that she still needed to pick up a few things from the store, Melody hurried to cross House Street and make her way up Sixteenth to Armstrongs' Mercantile. They closed at six, so she needed to hurry. She'd nearly reached her destination when she saw Jefferson Lane with a large suitcase in hand.

"Jefferson, are you heading somewhere?" she asked as she came up behind him.

He turned, looking surprised. "Uh ... well ... uh, yes. I'm leaving for good. This town just doesn't agree with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She almost chuckled but refrained. "I thought you wanted to marry me."

He laughed. "I was just teasing you. I'm not looking for a wife right now, but when I do, she'll give me far more advantages than you could."

Melody refused to be wounded by his words. "I hope you find someone worthy of you, Jefferson." Perhaps that was unkind to say.

"I will," Jefferson replied, not seeming to realize he'd been insulted. "I've no doubt. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make some arrangements before I head out."

"Where are you headed?"

He smiled and shook his head. "It doesn't need to trouble you." With that, he tipped his hat and left her standing there, rather surprised by his abrupt, dismissive words. Da was so right about him. He was full of secrets and deception.

Melody went on her way. She reached Armstrongs' and found Cynthia Armstrong just preparing to lock the door. "I only need a few things," Melody told the older woman.

"Sure, come on in. The afternoon has been slow, so I figured I'd go ahead and close, but you're always welcome. What can I get you?"

Melody told her what she needed, and Cynthia gathered the few things together. "I heard your father has taken a bad turn."

"Yes. He isn't ... well, he's not at all well."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know we've enjoyed his company the times he's come in for one thing or another. I hope he feels better soon."

Melody didn't feel like explaining and simply thanked Cynthia for her thoughts. She paid for her things, then gathered them and headed back to the tent. She'd already been gone for over an hour, and while she knew Da had probably slept through the absence, Melody was more than a little anxious to get back to him. Soon enough he'd be gone, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could.

Charlie had ended the workweek with nothing in mind but going to see Clancy and Melody Doyle. He hurried to the boardinghouse and changed his clothes, then made his way to where he knew he could buy some hothouse flowers. With a bouquet and the peppermints he'd purchased the day before in hand, he made his way to the tent community, hoping he could finally explain to Melody his interest in her and the arrangement he'd had with her father.

When he reached the Doyle tent, Charlie called out through the opening. "Is anybody home?" He hid the flowers behind his back.

Melody appeared almost immediately. "Hello, Charlie."

He smiled. "Evening. I hope you don't mind my stopping by. I thought I'd play checkers with your father if he is up to it."

"He's still asleep. Been sleeping all afternoon, in fact. I thought I'd wake him and see if I couldn't get him to eat a little soup. You're welcome to stay and have some as well. I didn't make a lot, but I doubt Da will eat that much."

"Maybe I could go over to one of the restaurants and bring something here for us. You need to eat more than soup. You're losing almost as much weight as your father."

She glanced down at herself. "I guess I've just been too busy thinking about Da."

"That's understandable." He looked over his shoulder, and seeing no one else was around, Charlie turned back to Melody. "Look, before we do anything else, I need to talk to you. I have something to say, and I don't want to put it off anymore lest you think later that I lied to you."

She frowned. "All right."

He presented her with the flowers. "These are for you."

Melody gasped and took the bouquet from Charlie. "They're beautiful, but I don't understand."

"That's part of what I've come to say. I have feelings for you, Melody. Very deep feelings."

Her brows knit together as her expression changed to confusion. "But you didn't ask Da to court me."

"Oh, but I did. Well, I should back up. Your father came to me and ... Oh, I'm making a mess of this. When he came to the bank, we discussed the entire matter. However, I didn't want him to say anything to you. I didn't want to do as the others were doing with their obvious desires and intentions of a quick wedding."

"Again, I don't understand."

He smiled and shrugged. "All of my life, it seems, I've watched people court. My brothers were much older than me, and I watched how they did things and learned from it. I believe, with great conviction, that it's better to become friends first. In all the relationships I've watched, the ones who were friends first seemed to be the closest and sweetest couples. I wanted us to be friends first, Melody."

"I see." She smelled the flowers and seemed to consider his words.

"I asked your father to say nothing and to let us get to know each other first, and he agreed. However, as upset as you got regarding him telling me about his medical situation before telling you, I wanted to let you know about our agreement. As I said, I care for you, and I don't want anything to cause problems between us. I especially don't want you thinking I lied to you."

"Thank you. I appreciate that you care about my feelings." She smiled. "I appreciate our friendship as well. I agree that friendship is an important foundation for romance. My da and mother were good friends before taking up romantic interests."

"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 had been 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 face was 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.

Melody was awake long into the night. The feel of Charlie's arms around her, his lips on hers, was still firmly etched in her memory. His whispered words of love echoed in her ears. She could still see the intense look of love in his eyes as he pulled away. She wrapped her arms around her body and sighed.

He was there all along. Being her friend—showing her kindness and understanding. Listening to her talk of her outings with other men, and all the while wanting to court her. He was an amazing man, and she'd nearly pushed him out of her life altogether. A part of her had wanted to wake Da up and ask for his opinion of Charlie, while another part of her already knew that he approved. Da would never have allowed Charlie so much inclusion in their lives otherwise. She thought of all that was yet to come. Charlie. Her father. Her life in Cheyenne. Already it seemed that things were happening faster than she could keep up with. Before summer was out, she might very well become an orphan and a wife.