Chunky Dream
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“What do you mean, ‘not yet?” Penny demanded. “You said we were going to the train station.” She glanced around as if she expected someone else to be in on this secret and might be listening. No one seemed interested in them except for a few people who watched from afar with curiosity or amusement.
The men looked more like cowhands than railroad workers—a lot of big hats, wide-brimmed sunshades over their eyes; some wore overalls that had been patched so many times they’d lost all color but white. They carried rifles instead of guns, which made her wonder how much protection it would give against Indians.
The woman shrugged. “It’s not my decision,” she answered calmly before turning away without another word. A little boy ran up next to his mother carrying a sack lunch box. He tugged at the hem of his shirt until he got her attention then pointed toward Penny with both hands extended.
His mom reached down and gave him what appeared to be an apple while ignoring Penny completely. That didn’t seem fair since she hadn’t asked anything of anyone either. But Penny couldn’t help feeling hurt by the lack of interest shown here compared to other towns where strangers received warm smiles when introduced to folks passing through town.
A man stepped out of the shadows behind the building near the depot office door, blocking Penny’s view inside the room beyond. It wasn’t unusual for a stranger to stand there watching everyone come and go, especially women alone. Sometimes the men even followed along after they left town.
She turned back to the woman waiting patiently beside the wagon wheel cart parked under the shade tree nearby. “Do you know why I can’t get into the office today? Why am I being kept outside?”
“I don’t think Mr. McBride wants any trouble,” the woman replied casually. Then added, “But maybe he’ll let me take care of your horse while you’re gone.”
Penny jumped off the buggy seat and walked around to open the rear doors. Her hand trembled slightly as she lifted the bridle strap holding the reins in place. Maybe it wouldn’t matter whether or not she rode tonight anyway because once they arrived at Denver, they could hire a teamster to drive the mare. Still, riding home felt right somehow.
When Penny returned to the front of the wagon, the woman handed her saddle bags containing extra clothes and toiletries to hang on top of the harnesses. “There should be enough for two nights. You won’t need more unless something unexpected happens. Just remember—” She stopped abruptly and stared hard at Penny. “Don’t trust anybody!”
With that warning delivered, Penny climbed onto the buckboard and swung herself into the driver’s seat. She waited impatiently until the woman opened the office door and entered ahead of her. As soon as she did, Penny pulled the reins and urged the mare forward.
This time the animal responded instantly. In no time, she was pulling the buggy alongside the road leading northward toward Fort Collins. There wasn’t much traffic on the narrow highway, just a few wagons headed south.
One vehicle coming in the opposite direction slowed and moved aside so Penny could pass. At first, she thought about waving thanks to the man but decided against it. All of a sudden the whole thing started to feel like a chunky dream. If only things really worked out this easily!
As they neared the turnoff for Greeley, Penny caught sight of several horses tied to hitching posts outside the saloon. An older couple stood talking to each other near one stall, but neither paid any particular notice to Penny’s approaching buggy.
The old fellow nodded briefly and went back to his conversation. Not wanting to attract unwanted attention, Penny drove past the saloons and shops and found a shady spot to tie the mare beneath a large cottonwood tree.
When she returned, Penny saw the woman walking toward the saloon with a heavy bag slung over her shoulder. After getting directions, Penny led the mare across the street and slipped into the stable attached to the hotel.
After checking with the desk clerk to see if there was still space available in the boarding house, Penny took a key card from the counter and hurried upstairs. The rooms were small and dark, but clean. With nothing better to do, Penny changed into a new pair of jeans and a yellow blouse.
No sooner had she finished than the bell rang loudly announcing someone else arriving. Penny glanced out the window expecting to find the woman who’d given her the key card standing on the sidewalk below. Instead, the newcomer came up the stairs directly toward the second-floor hallway. Penny quickly shut the bedroom door and leaned against it.
“Good afternoon,” Penny said politely. “May I ask how long you intend to stay here?”
The woman paused halfway down the hall and looked surprised. “How did you—?”
“My name is Penny Farthing. My friend told me to expect you.”
“Oh yes, we met earlier. Sorry, I forgot all about our meeting. We must have gotten separated when you left town. Do you mind showing us to your room?”
“Of course not,” Penny replied. “Follow me.”
They passed three doors before reaching hers. While the woman unlocked her room, Penny sat down on a chair facing the door and pretended to read one of the brochures stacked neatly atop the dresser.
They didn’t talk again during their short walk through the lobby area downstairs where Penny picked up the newspaper lying by an empty table. Finally, they reached the main entrance and Penny escorted them both to the parking lot.
In spite of the heat, Penny wore a light jacket over her blouse and tucked it into the waistband of her pants. By the time they got to the stables, Penny felt hot and sticky. But she couldn’t stop now; they needed to return the buggy to the livery and then pick up some lunch.
Once they’d settled the bill, Penny asked, “Do you know what happened to Mr. McBride? He usually stays longer than this.”
A frown marred the woman’s forehead. “Mr. McBride doesn’t seem interested in staying too long anymore. It looks like he might move somewhere else after the fair ends next week.”
That news made Penny wonder why they bothered returning to the ranch. Now she would probably end up having to pay another night’s fee for the mare. And the money she’d saved buying food for the trip wouldn’t go very far. What kind of fool idea was this anyway?
Why hadn’t she simply rented a horse from the livery and driven straight home? Then everything could have been avoided. Maybe she should leave right away instead of waiting around for the woman. That way she could avoid paying anything extra.
Or maybe she shouldn’t even bother leaving. A good plan never hurt anyone. Well… except for those people who tried to get themselves killed trying to escape from jail cells or prisons. She shook off that thought as soon as she heard the woman say something.
“Are you sure Mr. McBride isn’t coming back?” Penny asked. “I don’t want to be charged more than necessary.”
The woman shrugged. “If you’re worried, I’ll take care of things. Just come back tomorrow morning so I can check the saddle.”
Penny smiled. “Thank you. You won’t regret taking such good care of my mare. In fact—” Penny hesitated, suddenly unsure of herself. “Actually, I’m looking forward to riding her again.”
With that, Penny turned to lead the mare away. As she walked away, Penny watched the woman disappear inside the stable. At least the mare wasn’t going to cost Penny any additional fees. If only she could convince her mother to let her buy the horse outright.
Penny knew the mare belonged at the ranch, but Mother wanted to sell the animal because she considered Penny irresponsible enough to lose control of a horse while driving. Not wanting to argue with Mother just yet, Penny decided to wait until later.
There was no point worrying about it today. Besides, Penny planned to drive the mare across the country once she returned to Denver. After all, it would save her considerable expense renting a carriage.
***
By late evening Penny found herself sitting alone in the dining room watching the last few guests arrive for supper. The large fireplace crackled cheerfully, sending warm air drifting throughout the restaurant.
Penny ordered a bowl of vegetable soup and a glass of lemonade. When she finished eating, Penny paid for her meal and headed out to the porch overlooking the valley below. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she leaned against the railing, staring at nothing. For several minutes she stared blankly ahead, lost in thoughts of her family, friends, and the life she had left behind.
When Penny finally realized she missed the sound of laughter, she went inside and took the stairs two steps at a time. On her way past the kitchen, she stopped briefly to look inside and see if there were any leftover sandwiches.
No luck; the cooks already cleaned up most of the dishes. Still hungry, Penny continued upstairs to the second floor and stepped outside onto the balcony. This time the view held little interest for Penny. All she saw was a patchwork of fields dotted with grazing cattle.
Wherever she looked, the scenery seemed flat and lifeless. How much better the hills of Colorado must appear compared to this dusty plain.
After finishing her drink, Penny returned to the dining room and stood beside a window seat near the front door. Here she could watch guests enter and leave without being too obvious about it. She hoped someone would make an excuse for leaving early and get lost in a crowd so that Penny could sneak out without anyone noticing her absence.
As if on cue, a couple came through the main door with several guests trailing behind them like ducklings following their mother’s lead; this time Penny thought it might be possible to get away without being noticed.
But when one of them glanced over toward her table and caught sight of her sitting there alone, Penny’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot in response to his surprise and then the woman’s puzzled frown as they both stared at her table for a second before turning away to talk quietly with each other.
Penny turned away as well, pretending to be interested in looking out at the valley below instead of watching them through a window seat near a front door’s glass panes. “Doesn’t anyone ever want to sit alone?”
Penny whispered quietly as she leaned against the wall beside a potted plant that reached up toward an overhang above her head and blocked most of her view of those who passed by on their way into or out of a dining room table on one side of the lobby. “I mean—” Penny let out a sigh of exasperation—”I’m not exactly used to traveling around in circles with a bunch of strangers.”
Penny was relieved when no one came along to sit beside her before they closed down for the evening. After waiting several minutes alone, Penny managed to slip out unnoticed without troubling anyone else.
She hurried down the long hallway toward the front door that led out into an alleyway between two buildings. The sun appeared to be sinking slowly in the west and cast everything in silhouette as Penny stepped out into the alleyway between two buildings close to the restaurant’s main entrance.
Penny walked around the side of one building toward a large gate that separated it from another building across its rear wall which backed up to an alleyway close by.
When she reached this gate, Penny paused for a second and listened for any sign of anyone coming out through it in pursuit of her or any sounds that might indicate someone was approaching from inside one of the buildings on either side of her. The only sounds she heard were muted voices passing on nearby streets as she stepped through a small gate into an empty alleyway.
For several minutes Penny watched for any sign of pursuit as she picked her way across an alleyway that ran parallel to Main Street and then cut back toward Dogtown on either side of a street lined with buildings on either side that seemed to stretch on forever.
The only time she stopped was when she stepped aside to let an antique carriage pass by on Main Street, preceded by a pair of horses pulling it.
“What are you doing here?” The question startled Penny but it wasn’t directed toward her; it came from a voice behind her as she stepped into an empty alleyway near a row of houses on either side and stepped out onto Main Street.
“What are you doing here?” The voice repeated before Penny turned around to see Nell standing there with her arms crossed in front of her chest and an angry scowl on her face.
“You should have left hours ago,” Nell scolded as she glared at Penny’s back as if accusing her of something shameful or criminal. “You don’t know what you’re doing here.” it came from one of two women standing outside a building that held a sign reading “Royse Cooper & Son.”
The taller woman wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered most of her face except for her eyes and mouth; when she turned away from Penny to look back at the building, Penny saw that her thin hair was cut short and her face was lined with wrinkles when she smiled.
“I’m looking for someone,” Penny said as politely as possible while trying not to notice how much younger and prettier this woman was than Nell. “I mean—I’m not doing anything wrong.”
Penny turned back toward Nell and forced herself to smile as if everything was all right again—and as if she hadn’t been caught by surprise by this woman who had obviously found out where Penny was staying. “I mean—” Penny let out another sigh before giving Nell another apologetic smile—”I just need to find someone.”
“Who?” Nell asked sharply, her eyes narrowing suspiciously for a second before she softened her scowl and gave Penny a calm and reassuring smile before turning back toward Royse.”It’s important.”
“Who?” Nell demanded angrily, still watching Penny from behind her glassy eyes. “What makes you think we know anyone who might be looking for you?”
The End