She picked up the lamp and carried it to her room. The mess of dresses still lay scattered on the floor, over the only chair, and on the bed. Wearily, she picked them up and hung them in the closet.
Even though she hadn’t been plagued with breathing problems all day, fatigue dragged her down. She splashed her face with the now cold water in the bowl on her dresser, and reaching for a towel, dried off. Next she undid her hair, brushed it, and re-braided the curls into a loose plait hanging down her back.
Her soft cotton nightgown felt good against her skin, touching parts of her body she’d never been aware of before. Parts that seemed to come alive with Michael’s kiss. Her mother had never addressed what happened between a man and a woman in the marriage bed, because whatever mystery surrounded the occurrence would not be for her. At least not with Clarence, anyway.
Her fingers gently touched her nipple, and she jerked when a strange sensation raced from the tip of her finger to her woman’s core. She hurried into bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders, and turned on her side, her hands together under her cheek.
Tomorrow being Sunday, she would not have to spend the day in the store with Michael, unsure how to act. Again she came back to her initial question. Why did he kiss her again?
Chapter Ten
On Sunday morning, Clarence sat on the edge of the hotel bed, his aching head resting in his hands. Why did he drink so much whiskey last night? Tiny men with hammers had taken up residence in his head, and the inside of his mouth reminded him of a wad of old, smelly cotton. His eyes stung, his stomach churned, but above all else he burned with hatred for Michael Henderson.
By the time he’d awoken yesterday, after his altercation with Henderson in the bar Friday night, the pharmacy had already closed. Why would they only be open half a day on Saturday? Once again, he found himself stuck in the miserable town of Guthrie with no idea of his fiancée’s whereabouts.
After a bath and shave at the bathhouse, he’d gotten something to eat and then headed to the Blue Belle Saloon.
The barbs he’d received from the men who’d been a witness to his disgrace the night before had been bad enough. Until several of Miss Lizzy’s girls had cheerfully informed him his nemesis had given his favorite whore money to leave town. She’d been packed, and on the train within hours.
His stomach knotted. Given Heidi’s naivety, the halfwit girl would imagine in no time that Henderson was some sort of god. A rescuer of women, a protector of the weak. The thought almost pushed him over the edge, and throw up the contents of his already suffering stomach. If he didn’t force her away from here and that blasted store, his entire future could be in jeopardy.
She may have been elusive up till now, but Heidi Lester never missed Sunday worship. As much as it pained him, he needed to gather his strength, to stand, wash up, dress, and head to church. He glanced at his timepiece. If he hurried, he could probably catch the Lesters and his mother before they left the hotel, and be viewed as the ever faithful fiancé joining them for Services.
Mr. Lester slapped him on the back as he approached them in the lobby of the hotel. “Manfred, good to see you, boy. We missed you last night, wanted to invite you to dinner with us, but you’d already left your room.”
Clarence felt his brain slam against his skull. And the pain!
“Are you all right, Clarence? You look like you’re getting sick.” His mother rested her palm on his forehead like he was a boy.
He yanked his head away. “I’m fine.”
She rose on her toes and examined his face. “You’ve been in a fight.”
Both Lesters turned at her words and studied him.
“No. Of course I wasn’t in a fight, Mother. I got up during the night and walked into the dresser in the dark.” He grabbed her arm before she could say any more, and escorted her to Mr. Lester’s rented buggy.
He would ensure his fiancée paid for all the misery she’d brought him. On the ride to church, his mother chatted on and on about some stupid play, and just in case he didn’t hear every boring word out of her mouth, she kept nudging him in the side as she spoke. His headache had blown into epic proportions and the buggy ride churned his stomach like a small ship batted around in a sea storm.
Eventually they reached the church, and Clarence hopped out before the buggy barely stopped. He turned to help his mother down while she still gabbed on about something else. Too bad it was generally frowned upon to shake one’s mother until her teeth rattled.
“Look, there’s Heidi.” Mrs. Lester hurried away from the group and joined her daughter at the entrance to the church. The women hugged and Mrs. Lester held her at arms-length to run her gaze over the girl. She beamed with maternal love and pride. Clarence wanted to grab Heidi by the hair and drag her back to Oklahoma City. Instead, he planted a smile on his face as he approached mother and daughter.
He took Heidi’s hand and kissed it. “My dear, such a pleasure to see you.” As he released her hand, he noticed the absence of her engagement ring. Anger turned the sour stomach into a blazing furnace. What did the missing ring mean?
Mr. Lester took his daughter into his arms and hugged her while Mrs. Manfred patted her on the shoulder. They all acted like she’d returned from the dead. The girl had done nothing but upset everyone’s life and create a nuisance for him.
“Are you getting enough to eat, dear?” Mrs. Lester frowned. “I think you’ve lost weight.”
“No, Mother. In fact I attended a birthday party yesterday, and ate so much I’m still full.”
“A birthday party?” Clarence smiled through a clenched jaw.
“Yes.” She turned to her parents. “We should move inside. The service will begin shortly.”
A damn birthday party. She wasn’t in town long enough to know anyone, except Henderson. Had it been his birthday? Did he and Heidi go out on the town, drinking champagne and celebrating?
They took their places in a pew and removed gloves, unbuttoned coats, and picked up hymnals. Through some fast maneuvering, he’d managed to sit on the end, with Heidi next to him. He took her hand in hi