The ticket agent said, “You got troubles?”
Longarm turned away from the counter. “No, I don’t have any troubles. I don’t have anything. Listen, I’m going to need a half stock car to haul two horses.”
“Is that gonna be on the government voucher?”
Longarm said, a trace of bitterness in his voice, “No, I’ll be paying for that, but the government will pay for my ticket.”
“Yes, sir.”
Longarm left the depot and walked back toward the center of town. Off on a side street was the small dressmaking establishment of Mrs. Shirley Dunn. They had an engagement planned for Saturday night that he was now going to have to break. There was to be an evening of entertainment at the opera house and he had invited Mrs. Dunn to go. She had graciously accepted. He had anticipated that an evening of fun, aided perhaps by a champagne supper at the Brown Hotel, might lead to far more pleasant recreation. Now he stood in front of her little shop feeling miserable. It would have been their fourth formal outing. Twice they had gone dancing and twice they had had dinner at the elite Brown Hotel, Denver’s finest. On two other occasions, they had met on her front porch on a Sunday afternoon, drinking lemonade and making light talk. His progress had been slow and carefully planned because Mrs. Dunn was a demure lady of breeding and delicate sensibilities. He had progressed no farther than putting his arm around her waist on a few occasions and one light good-night kiss.
Longarm was an old experienced hand at tracking the feminine species. He knew the kind that could be hurried and he knew the kind that required proper courtship. Mrs. Dunn, he was absolutely certain, was of the latter. To attempt to rush her would be to throw the game away. He suspected she could be as flighty as any deer he had stalked. And now this very unwelcome interruption had come into his social life. All he could do was go into her shop and break the news, and hope that some other buck hadn’t invaded his territory by the time he got back. It was a sad errand, and he silently cursed Billy Vail as he turned the door handle and entered the little shop.
Shirley Dunn was behind the little glass counter where she sold ready-made items. The main work of her business, that of custom dressmaking, was done in the back room where she employed three seamstresses.
As he entered the store, she had her back to the door putting some boxes of lace handkerchiefs in place. She turned as he came in and said, “Oh!” putting her hand to her throat in a dainty little gesture.
She was so petite, so delicate, so proper that she always made him feel like a big shambling idiot. He took off his hat as he walked toward her, uncomfortably aware of how loud his boots and spurs sounded on the floor of the shop.
He said, “Mrs. Dunn, my, you are as pretty as a ceramic pussy cat … no, make that a crystal cat.”
She colored prettily. “That may be the most unusual compliment that I have ever heard. At least I will take it as a compliment.”
He said, “Believe me, ma’am, there is nothing else that I could pay you except a compliment. If I had it, I would pay you a million dollars just to stand here and look at you, but I reckon that you will have to wait for your money.”
She laughed. “Oh, Custis, how you do go on. I am surprised to see you in a ladies’ shop in the middle of the afternoon. Have you come to see me or are you shopping?”
His face fell. He worked his hat in his hands in agitation. “the sad truth of it, ma’am, is that I will not be able to escort you to the entertainment Saturday night. My work calls me away.”
“Oh,” she said. She put her hand to her throat again. She was wearing a light gray tailored suit with a ruffled blouse that was open at the throat.
He could see the disappointment in her face, but it quickly cleared.
She said, “I am so sorry to hear that, but I can understand that someone in your line of endeavor has little control over these things.”
He said, “you may rest assured of that. I am badly disappointed, ma’am. I was so much looking forward to Saturday night, but I have to be on a train Saturday morning, and by Saturday night I will be somewhere on my way to Texas.”
“Texas! Oh, that is a long way.”
He made a face. “Too long for me. Any place in Texas is too long for me.”
“You don’t care for the state?”
He said, “Ma’am, you generally don’t care for places where you get shot at and knifed at and made to feel extremely unwelcome, but that is pari of my business and I don’t want to burden you with it. I just stopped by to tell you what I had to say.” He took a step closer to the counter. “You can’t believe how disappointed I am.”
She put her hand out toward his. He reached to take it. She said, “So am I, Custis. Very much so. I’ll miss your company, not just the entertainment.”
He nodded. “I don’t know how long I will be gone.”
She said, “We can do it when you get back.”
He tried for a smile. “I don’t want any of these other fellows around here beating my time.”
She smiled. “Why, whatever do you mean, Marshal?”
“You know good and well what I mean, Mrs. Dunn. A lady of your style and beauty will not lack for suitors. I fear to leave my range unattended—I fear cattle thieves, I fear rustlers.”
She blushed. “My, my. What a comparison, Marshal Long.”
He took her hand a little tighter and held it for a moment. Then he released it and put his hat on. “Well, I reckon I better be on about my business. You have a shop to run.”
He took a step backwards, and was about to turn for the door when she said, “Custis, why not Friday night? Do you have plans Friday night?”
