"Remember that a lady-like deportment is always modest and quiet."
Hank Lawson took a long, hard drink of whiskey. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night. No, more than a feeling, unless anything had changed from last night.
He had never hoped for a couple making up in all his life. In fact, he rather encouraged the opposite. An unhappy marriage meant more liquor sales and more soliciting of his girls. But he found himself hoping now.
He still didn't know what Loren wanted with a wife. A man who'd been married before ought to know better. Sister Ruth and Kid Cole were a walking advertisement against the idea.
They bickered a lot for people who had separate rooms. The only break came during the day when they went their own ways. Now Kid had just returned and he could hear their arguing from the saloon.
Well, actually what he heard was Sister Ruth. That woman had a voice that could resonate, and he didn't mean that as a compliment. The harder he tried to tune it out, the more it seemed to carry. A couple of customers looked towards the ceiling.
He polished off the glass to fortify himself. He had to do something before someone complained again. And when a bunch of drunks complained the inside of a saloon was too loud like they had last night, it was a bad situation indeed.
He could hear both sides of the conversation as he approached.
"If you'd quit picking at me and twisting my words for just five seconds, I'm trying to tell you Dr. Mike invited us to have supper."
"Why?"
"Beats me. I sure wouldn't invite you anywhere. As cantankerous as you've been lately."
"And I suppose you've been all sugar and spice?"
"I didn't say that. What I am saying is go clean up so we can get going. I don't want to be late."
"What's wrong with the way I look?"
"Good heavens," she said, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Nothing. Let's go then."
"I ain't going." He started to go into his room.
"Oh, for pity's sake! You're going if I have to drag you there by the ear."
He looked back but kept moving.
Her tone went softer. "Matthew and Brian are looking forward to it. You know how much they look up to you though Lord knows why. You can disappoint me, but don't disappoint them."
That worked. Hank even thought he saw a flash of guilt before Kid's face hardened again. "I'll go, but I won't like it."
"Can we please just get along long enough to make it through supper with the Sullys? Is that too much to ask?"
Kid followed her out of the hotel though he didn't look happy about it.
It was too much to ask, Hank thought. They'd never make it that long without fighting. He'd bet his last dollar on that.
sss
The saloon had just closed for the night, and Hank was polishing the counter.
"I've never been so embarrassed in all my born days," Sister Ruth was complaining as they came into the hotel.
"That's a lot of days. And if you hadn't called me a sinner-"
"I called everybody a sinner, myself included. That was no reason to storm out."
"I came back, didn't I? And don't tell me you weren't thinking of me when you said that prayer."
"Believe it or not, I wasn't. You ain't all I ever think about, you know."
"Trouble in paradise?" Hank asked sarcastically as they walked in front of him.
That seemed to quiet them, and Hank went to bed not long after they did. But a woman's voice sliced through his dreams and disturbed his rest. That distinctive, unmistakable voice.
He went to the hallway where their rooms were, expecting to find them arguing in the hallway, but they weren't. He could still hear her hollering. He knocked on Sister Ruth's door first and got no answer. He went to Kid Cole's next. Kid answered. He'd obviously been asleep. And Hank wondered how he'd managed that.
"Where's that wife of yours?" he practically bellowed.
Kid pointed towards the window, and Hank went to look out. He quickly saw that Sister Ruth was outside, pacing up and down in front of the saloon with the Bible in her hands, yelling.
"What in tarnation? She's arguing with herself now," Hank cried out.
"No, she's arguing with God. Probably telling Him about me if I had to guess."
"Does He argue back?" He wondered if Sister Ruth had more screws loose than he'd thought.
"To hear Sister Ruth tell it, you'd think so," he replied, unable to keep from cracking a grin. "She's sane enough if that's what you mean. Just a loud prayer sometimes."
Hank cracked the window and yelled out, "God ain't deaf, sister! You're probably giving him a headache too. Now go to bed like a normal person!"
sss
Hank almost made it to dawn without another interruption. He was seriously starting to regret going into the hotel business. This time they were in their usual place to argue.
"Where have you been?" she was asking him.
"I told you it ain't none of your business."
"I know you weren't drinking cause the saloon's closed. Were," she took a moment to collect herself, "-were you with one of the girls?"
"Yeah, cause that's what I want is another woman. I'm getting shed of you just so I can hitched up to another problem."
"I don't mean the girls we're transporting. I meant Hank's girls."
"They could all be my daughters, and I got better things to do with my time. I thought you knew me better than that."
"I thought I did too. So where were you?"
"Just outside, enjoying the night air. Or is that a sin?"
Her face flamed in anger. "You-"
"Okay. Break it up, you two," Hank interrupted.
Ruth had a dressing gown on over her nightclothes, but the robe had started coming undone. She tightened it and moved behind Kid.
"You ain't got nothing I ain't seen before," Hank said. He would have laughed about it if it hadn't been just after 4. In the morning. "And what's more if I hear another peep out of you, the whole town's going to see cause I'll throw you out of this hotel."
And suddenly Kid's anger was directed at him and somehow seemed a lot more real. "You lay a finger on her and it'll be you that's carried out of here. Feet first."
Hank swallowed hard and this time the words came out pleadingly. "Would you all please for the love of all that is holy just go to bed?"
Ruth went into her room first. Then Kid went into his.
He thought he heard one or two girls giggle from behind their door as he walked back to his room. The mail-order brides, not his girls. His girls wouldn't have been so foolish. "Enjoying the show, ladies?"
More giggles. It was definitely nights like this Hank was glad he'd never married.
sss
The Coles were leaving, and Hank couldn't have been happier. He had come out just to make sure they both got into the stagecoach. He did a double-take when he spotted them though.
It was plain to see Kid was saying something kind of mushy to Sister Ruth and her laughter carried with the same power as her voice. The look that passed between them then was tender and warm. And so loving. He didn't know what had changed between them but something had. Or maybe the love had never really left.
And it was days like this Hank wished he had married.
