Love's Final Embers
Chapter 1
First Impressions
Doc walked up to the front counter, placing his carpetbag safely at his feet. It had been a three-day seminar; and as informative and exciting as it had been, it was also tiring. He tapped the stem of the tin bell in hopes of summoning up the missing desk clerk.
Within seconds, a ruddy-faced young man appeared in the doorway of the storage room. Handfuls of unruly blonde curls bounced around the youthful face as he hurried to his post. His eager round eyes were perched above a toothy smile.
"What can I do for you today?" Myron Wilkey hoped he didn't sound as nervous as he felt, this being his first day on the job as the day clerk for the Occidental Hotel.
With a polite smile, Doc raised his hand to return the room key. Before he could finish the task, someone pushed past him, demanding young Wilkey's immediate attention. The old physician was stunned when he heard a genteel voice, obviously attached to the aggressive body.
"Young man! I'm in a hurry." She appeared to be more breathless than rude. "Could you please hurry and check me out?" Still ignoring the little man in the black suit, she dropped her bag to the floor and gave the physician a slight nudge for more counter space.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I-" Doc barely got started when she talked over the top of his complaint.
"I was in room fourteen." Her cultured speech continued to contradict her impatient behavior. "If I may just have my bill."
Young Wilkey's smile adopted a nervous twitch, as he watched the older gentlemen becoming more agitated. Despite the fact that he had been there first, the clerk thought it might be best to appease the lady and get her out of the hotel as quickly as possible.
"Yes, ma'am." She had left instructions regarding the importance of her checkout time with the night manager and Wilkey had done most of the paperwork already. He reached into the drawer and quickly retrieved the bill.
Doc cleared his throat, in an attempt to draw the woman's attention. Unfortunately, she was too busy digging into her reticule for the money to settle her account. The transaction was swift and without further conversation, she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the lobby.
Furry gray brows crinkled over angry little eyes as Doc watched the lady leave. With an irritated swipe to his mustache, Doc turned back to the friendly clerk.
"I'm so sorry, sir. I was kind of in a spot. Thank you for understanding." The voice was hopeful, the smile anxious, as the clerk waited for the older man's response.
"Let me just say – the women of Dodge City are more polite than the ones you have here in Wichita."
"Oh, she's not from here, sir. She's from New York." Wilkey drew back with a slight gasp. It was unprofessional to tell one guest about another. "I mean…I shouldn't have-"
A grudging smile teased the old man's lips. "New York." Doc repeated. "Well that explains a lot, doesn't it." He dropped his key on the counter. "I'd like to check out, son."
"Yes sir." Wilkey read the name on the invoice and quickly settled the account. "Thank you, Dr. Adams. I hope you enjoyed your stay here at the Occidental." That comment landed him on the receiving end of a dubious scowl. He offered a hapless shrug and tried again. "Well, I hope you enjoyed most of it."
"Thank you."
It seemed as though, the attractive lady from New York was not done infuriating the small-town doctor. When he leaned down to retrieve his bag, all he came back up with was a red face and very effeminate, floral, carpetbag.
"She!…That…that…" Doc's cheeks flamed, while he sputtered and spewed. "She took my bag!"
O0O0O0O0O0O
"Now Hadley, ya got to croparate with Unkle Festus." He struggled to hold the flailing body to his chest, relying on the short-winded breaths that he was able to snatch. "I swear you's a flip-floppin' like a dyin' fish!"
Short, chubby legs were poking in all directions—except the small opening of the highchair. The more Festus tried to wrangle her into the seat, the more she giggled and squirmed. "She's liken one of them thare octurpusses!
With a grin and roll of her eyes, Calleigh plucked the wriggling toddler from his hands. A grateful nod and even more grateful sigh escaped the weary man. Calleigh pulled the little girl to her chest, covering her face in kisses. "Whose girl are you?"
Small hands stopped flailing about and came to rest, framing the face of her older sister. "Yews. I'm yew gewl!" A kiss quickly followed, before Hadley gave up her freedom and was planted into the wooden seat.
Matt was making his way to the head of the table, as he passed behind his daughters. He observed the frustrated scowl on the hill man's face and leaned down to whisper a word of encouragement. "Don't feel bad. Doc says it's a redheaded gene. Makes 'em all a little wild."
Within minutes, all the seats were filled and prayers of gratitude had been offered. Conversation began, as the bowls began to make their way around the table.
Festus absently poked his fork into a healthy cut of meat. "Shore is quiet 'round here without that ole grumpity-grump grousing 'bout ever lil' thang."
With her head bowed, loving blue eyes peered up at the marshal. Matt's smile matched that of his wife, as they listened to the scruffy little man go on and on. He just couldn't stop expressing his complete satisfaction with the time apart from Doc.
"When is the ole quackity-quack comin' home?"
Calleigh winked at the cowboy across the table from her. "You know, he might just decide to stay in Wichita. A brilliant doctor like him…you just never know."
"Brilliant, my foot! Why he…" Festus scowled at the young redhead, as her words took on meaning. "Stay? In Wichita? Ya mean, do his doctorin' somewhere 'sides Dodge?"
Kitty reached across the table, offering a reassuring hand. "She's just teasing you, Festus. Doc would never leave his family."
"Yeah." His smile was slow in coming, but with a bit of thought, it finally arrived. "He'd be a plum fool to leave the hearts at this table."
TBC
