Adele, p.6
Adele, page 6
“I didn’t know,” she whispered as they fell into step with the rest of the group, a lively tune playing punctuated by the sound of a harmonica.
Beau scowled. “I suppose I should have told you, but I couldn’t resist seeing the looks on their faces,” he chuckled. “No one saw that announcement coming.”
“No, no one did.”
Beau moved them easily around the dance floor, Adele following in step.
“You aren’t cross with me, are you?” Beau didn’t even know where the question came from or why he cared.
“No, just surprised. Have you been thinking of this for long?”
“In a way,” the man’s words were soft. “I am the third most prosperous man in town,” he grinned. “I think people should see me as the businessman I am, not just a purveyor of alcohol.”
Adel thought it over for a moment. “Why did you wait until now?”
“Now, I have a wife who is an upstanding woman of character. Who can argue with that?” His grin flashed over his rounded face as he spoke.
“You think I make you seem more respectable?”
“Of course. Marriage is a sacred institute, after all. I’ve never been a womanizer or scoundrel. I just make my living in a way that many see as troublesome.”
“I see,” Adele nodded as the dance came to an end, and they clapped politely for the group of men playing guitar, fiddle, and harmonica.
“Well, folks, it’s been an exciting evening already,” Dan Gains stepped up on an empty chair, smiling at everyone. “We’ll take a break from the dancing to let our musicians whet their whistle and enjoy some refreshments. But don’t worry, they’ll pick up again right where they left off.”
Adele looked around at the guests seeking out her sisters. All three of them were surrounded by men chatting and laughing with them. It was apparent that the single men of Needful were seeking a dance, and Adele wondered if her decision to marry Mr. Alder had been wise. At this rate, her sisters would be married by Christmas, and that was only a little over a month away. Didn’t they see that her marriage had given them the freedom to be more than a mail-order bride?
“Is something the matter?” Mr. Alder asked, studying Adele’s face. She looked nice tonight in her new dress, so fitting for a woman who would most likely be the next first lady of Needful.
“No, I just noticed how much attention my sisters are getting.”
“Are you jealous?” Beau’s eyes were wide.
“No, of course not. Only,” she turned, meeting his eyes as she bit her bottom lip. “I had hoped that they would start to find their way instead of considering marriage.”
“But you married. Are you unhappy?”
Adele flicked her eyes between her sisters and her husband. “No,” she answered honestly. “I am not unhappy. You have provided so much for me and the ability for me to see that my sisters and father are not without means. It’s just.”
“Just what?” Beau felt a tiny burn in his chest. He had lived up to his agreement to the letter. What could the woman have to complain about?
“I want them to have as many choices as possible. I wasn’t about to be foisted off on the first cowboy that Olive thought appropriate. I’ve fought it this whole time, keeping my sisters all but hidden at the Hampton House. When you came along, the situation suited me, so I grabbed it.”
“And that is why I like you, my dear.” Beau’s chuckle was warm and surprised Adele. “You have a brain in your head and determination. You will make the best kind of wife for a man like me. When I’m mayor, you’ll be able to hold your head up high and be proud to walk down the street with me.”
“I’m not ashamed now,” Adele offered honestly. “You have been good to your word in all things. Why should it matter how you make your living?”
“Exactly, exactly.” Beau rocked back on his heels, tucking his thumbs in the pockets of his vest. “We are well suited, and without all that silly nonsense of love and expectation, we’ll get on well. You have given me another opportunity to prove my worth to this town.”
“Are you ashamed?” Adele wanted to kick herself for her words, but her husband only shook his head.
“I run an honest business,” he said once again. “I have nothing to feel shame over. I am not responsible for the men who overindulge in drink and get into trouble. They make their own choices.” His grin faltered for a moment, then returned. “Let us mingle.”
Adele took his arm once more, and together they strolled along the yard under the glow of lanterns hung from ropes and trees giving the space a soft glow. A few candles flickered in jars draped along the fencing, creating a lovely atmosphere. If this had been a real marriage, Adele might even have thought it romantic.
Lifting her chin, she greeted the people of Needful, smiling warmly as Ruth, the hostler’s wife, swept toward the buffet table in a stunning lavender gown. Ruth was one of those vivacious types with big plans and a sweet nature. She was well suited to Needful.
BEAU WATCHED HIS WIFE as she spoke with her sisters. Was she ashamed of him? Did she know where he had come from? Beauregard Alder had started life in a shameful place, but in time, his mother had worked her way into selling liquor instead of her soul, giving them a chance at a normal life.
He wondered what others in this backward town would think of his past then pushed the thought aside. Working hard and with a mind to better himself, Beau had opened his own saloon, building it into a fine business place. He had nothing to be ashamed of now, and if his bid for mayor came to fruition, he would be able to look back on his life and know he had made something of himself.
With Adele at his side, he would be more than anyone could have imagined at his birth. He would be someone of substance: wealthy, powerful, and master of his destiny.
The party continued with lively dancing, good food, and overall fun. Beau caught a miner trying to spike the punch bowl and confiscated his rotgut before he could do anyone real harm, but overall the festivities were good clean, fun.
It was good to see the town pulling together, and Beau knew that it could only get better once he was mayor. He had an idea. Ways of bringing more industry to the area and building the place up. So many places had been burned to the ground during the unpleasantness between the North and South that industrious, ambitious people were needed to see that a modern country blossomed.
Beau gazed around him, lifting a fresh cup of apple cider to his lips. He didn’t know where the apples came from and didn’t care. Tonight he was enjoying the frivolity of fall. He watched Adele speaking with her sisters. Her new dress did much to soften her shoulders' hard edges, but her stiff upright posture was pleasing. A woman of means should carry herself thus. He blushed slightly, remembering his rude behavior toward Teddy Lewis’s wife earlier that year. He would like to have excused his misdeed by saying he’d been drinking or that lack of sleep from a late Saturday night had fogged his brain. Still, in truth, he had been jealous that a lowly cowhand like Teddy, a nobody by his admission, had married a woman of apparent wealth and upbringing.
Lifting his glass again, Beau scanned the crowd. He would make Adele into the perfect political tool. She was clever, and together they would rise to the highest ground in town.
“You sure you want to run for mayor?” Pastor Tippert sidled up to him, jostling him with a bony elbow. “It’s not much fun from what Dan says.”
“I believe I would make an exemplary mayor of Needful,” Beau said. “I have ideas of how to grow this town and bring prosperity.”
“Well, prosperity is good,” Brandon waved at his pretty wife, who was talking to Daliah Gaines and Prim, both of whom were expecting. “The town is already growing pretty steady,” Brandon added, his dark eyes bright. “What we need is to build character, morality, and godliness. These things bring their own prosperity, but more importantly, peace.”
“You’re a preacher. I’d expect you to say that.”
Brandon laughed. “Truth is truth, my friend. We can close our eyes and deny it all we want to, but it doesn’t change the fact. The law of God was written for our peace, to bring us hope in dark times and carry us through. You lose sight of that, and things are bound to fall apart.”
Beau huffed. He had never needed God in his life. All he had he had built with his own two hands and the brain between his ears. Even with his problem with numbers, he could make a good living understanding the nature of man.
“You keep your high words to yourself, preacher. Men are men everywhere, and they tend to fall mighty short of that glory you’re on about. Vice, ambition, greed, this is what motivates most folks. People are self-serving, that’s what.”
Brandon shook his head sadly. “I can’t argue there, Adler. I’ve seen it myself. I’ve been there myself, but God can change all of that. A man’s heart is deceitful, and only God can know it. We often think we see things clearly, but the facts can be staring us in the face, and we don’t see. Once upon a time, I took an art class,”
Beau turned, pinning Brandon with unbelieving eyes. “You what?”
“My mother insisted on it. I wasn’t much more than a boy and she wanted me to learn the finer arts.” The preacher chuckled at his own words. “It’s one of the reasons I can tickle the ivories so well, but that’s another story. This art teacher was a smart man. Easy going fellow, but he saw things. The best piece of advice he ever gave me was, ‘draw what you see, not what you think you see.’ It stayed with me all these years. When I look at a tree, I see a tree, but that tree isn’t the same as every other tree. Each one is unique, special. People are like that too. We need to look for the best in our fellow man, but we need to see clearly too, and when someone is headed down the wrong path, we should speak up.”
“I thought you already gave a sermon today,” Beau grumbled. “I think I see folks just fine. I don’t need a nosey preacher poking in.”
“If you say so,” Brandon grinned, clapping the man on the shoulder. “I just hope you have enough sense to take a good hard look at that wife of yours now and again. She’s smart and practical from what my Beth says, but never forget she is still a woman.”
Beau watched, bewildered, as the preacher walked away. He knew his wife. She had told him exactly what she wanted from their marriage, and he would stand by it. He didn’t need some love-struck puppy like the preacher telling him how to run his life.
Chapter 9
Adele’s head was buzzing with the excitement and chatter from the dance. The party had been lively, and she had barely had a minute to speak with her sisters before another man would ask them to dance.
Apparently, her sisters had thrown caution to the wind without her interference and guidance and would dance with any cowhand, miner, or farmer who asked. Didn’t they understand that she had made arrangements to keep them from having to marry the first man who came calling?
As the night drew to a close, Adele smiled as Beau ushered her into their quiet home, thinking of her conversation with her father.
“Did you have a nice time?” Beau grinned, his hazel eyes sparkling.
“It was very entertaining,” Adele admitted. “It was nice to speak with my father, though I barely had time to say hello to my sisters before they were back on the dance floor.”
“It was entertaining,” Beau agreed. “Was your father pleased with your new situation?”
“I think he has excepted it. He even complimented my new dress.”
“Good, good,” Beau nodded. “I’m pleased. I hope you aren’t put out with me about my announcement. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Together they walked into the kitchen where Beau lit a lamp. “How about a cup of tea before we turn it. It is strange not to be at work tonight and rather early still for me.”
“Of course,” Adele hurried to the stove, stoking the fire back to life and moving the kettle onto a hob. “I was rather shocked by your announcement,” Adele spoke carefully. “Do you think you have a chance?”
Beau shrugged. “It can’t hurt to try. As mayor, people would have to recognize my contribution to Needful.”
Adele busied herself with making the tea, her mind turning over his words. There was something she wasn’t getting with this drive to be mayor. Something that Beauregard hadn’t told her. He didn’t seem angry with the people of Needful, but he seemed to need their approval, perhaps in a way he didn’t even comprehend.
“Do you think they will respect you more if you are mayor?”
“Of course.” Beau hung his coat over the back of his chair, smoothing his vest over a thick middle. “I’ll be in charge. I’ll show them how much I can bring to this town.”
Adele poured steaming water into the teapot and swilled it, dumping the water into the sink before adding tea and filling it. “What would you like to do?”
“Move this town forward,” Beau said, taking his seat as she placed the teapot on the table and moved to retrieve cups, sugar, and cream.
“But Needful is a cattle town.”
“Yes, for now. It could be so much more.”
Adele placed the cups on the table and slipped into her seat. Her dark eyes roamed over her husband’s face wondering what he was thinking. She didn’t know the man well enough to read him yet. So far, he had lived up to their bargain, and though he seemed to believe that having a wife gave him a better sense of respectability, she didn’t understand his thinking.
Lifting the teapot, Adele poured the dark brew and passed a cup to Beau. “Would you tell me?”
Beau took the cup and beamed. He looked so different without his customary mustache. Somehow it seemed to take years from his face.
“The south is still rebuilding,” he began. “It needs industry, manufacturing, new ways to earn a living. Texas is wide open. It’s huge and whoever strikes first has the best chance of turning a profit.”
“Cattle seems to be doing well.” Adele lifted her cup. “Prim and Rosa feel that their husbands’ ranches are profitable.”
“Yes, but will it last? I’m sure there are ways to diversify revenue streams in Needful.”
Adele nodded. Beau had a keen mind for business, which was evident from his successful saloon, but was progress for progress's sake a good thing? “There is mining and farming as well.”
“Yes, yes, but what comes next? We can’t count on people, busy trying to make ends meet, to think ahead. They need people who will do it for them.”
“That seems like taking on a lot without asking.” Adele scowled, worried about where Beau's thoughts were going.
“People don’t always know what’s good for them.”
“Like drinking too much?” Adele knew she was pushing the subject when Beau’s face went red.
“Men have a right to unwind,” he said, meeting her eyes as he sipped his tea. “You’re role in this is clear. You will be a presentable stalwart by my side. In time people will know that I have as much right to be mayor of Needful as Gaines.”
“I just think you should consider what the people of the town want.” Again Adele was sure there was something she was missing. She was comfortable enough with the situation she was in. Mr. Alder asked little of her, and in reality, she had more free time than she had ever had before.
“I will support you,” she said, not flinching from his gaze. “However, if I don’t agree with you, I will let you know.”
Beau felt a grin spread across his lips. “You surprise me,” he said. “You are not a woman given to hysterics or fits. This was clear from our first meeting. You think your mind is a match for any man’s.”
“I do,” Adele agreed. “I am able to think as an independent person. I will not shrink from speaking my mind.”
“Just so, just so.” Beau grinned, surprised at the woman’s spunk. She was a very practical soul, and this side of her intrigued him. It wouldn’t deter him from his goals, but perhaps, he could learn how to deal with the people of Needful better by listening to her arguments.
Adele studied Beau wondering what she could say to help the man understand that the people of Needful had confidence in Dan Gaines. The man had all but created the town by bringing men to the area to start a cattle ranch, and he gave them a sense of consistency. The fact that the sheriff was his brother, and a man who had proven himself capable of dealing with the town's rowdier element or worse, created continuity.
“I think you need to look carefully at your goals and your motivation for this run at mayor,” she said, finishing her tea. “You are doing well in this town with its current leadership. Why do you want more?”
“I’ll take your words under advisement,” Beau grinned. “We will see how it all comes out in the end,” he added, ignoring her question.
Adele cleared the table as Beau finished his tea, placing the cups and teapot in the sink and turning. “I’ll take care of this in the morning,” she said. “I’m rather weary.”
“Good night, Adele.” Beau inclined his head, lifting his coat and moving toward the hall. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
ADELE LAY AWAKE FOR what seemed hours. She was tired but found her heart troubled with her husband's sudden desire to be mayor of Needful. It was evident that she was missing something, some key understanding that would give her insight into the situation.
When she had agreed to marry Beauregard Alder, she had done it by the numbers. He was a businessman and could provide for her allowing her to spare her sisters from making a similar decision. They couldn’t go on working for Olive and Orville Hampton at the boardinghouse forever.
Rolling over and closing her eyes, Adele wanted her mind to be still and let her rest, but a tiny voice deep inside continued to trouble her.
Tossing again, Adele fought for sleep, but it wouldn’t come, and her mind turned to her mother and the sweet woman who had taught her to stand on her own two feet.
A single tear slipped from Adele’s eyes as she remembered her mother’s remonstration. You’re a smart girl, her mother’s voice echoed in her mind. But remember that no matter how clever, independent, or able you are, you will always need the Lord.
