Chapter Nine

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

~Frank Outlaw

That evening, as women arrived at the saloon for the town social, they began setting up the dessert and coffee tables. The dessert table was quickly becoming crowded with cakes, candies, and pies. Laurel Miller and Matilda Grady worked together to set up the coffee table, with Tom Trevoy bringing them coffee cups from the bar.

Across the saloon from the food tables, Cat Montgomery sat at the piano, warming up and helping Adam Miller tune his guitar. Two other men joined them, one with a fiddle and the other a mandolin. They all played various scales, preparing to play for the guests gathering for the social.

Amid all the activity, Abigail and Ann walked into the saloon carrying their desserts. "Oh, my goodness!" Abigail exclaimed. "The school children have outdone themselves again. It looks like an enchanted forest!"

Multicolored leaves were strewn all around the saloon. Garlands of leaves and flowers hung from the posts and rafters. The stair rails and bar were festooned with colorful, braided paper garlands. On the tables, warm flames flickered in the oil lamps, each adorned with a bright ribbon. At the saloon doors, there was an archway decked out with flowers and leaves welcoming everyone to the festivities. All who entered through it were immediately impressed.

Abigail and Ann made their way to the dessert table and met Florence Blakeley and Molly Sullivan there. Florence stood near one end of the table, giving orders and pointing. She was clearly in charge of the arrangement of the desserts. "Good evening, Abigail," she said and then nodded to Ann, "I don't believe we've met, Mrs. Thornton. I'm Florence Blakeley."

"Nice to meet you," Ann replied as she set her pies on the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry but the pies actually go down there," Florence informed her as she pointed to the far end of the table.

"Oh... alright," Ann answered in an even voice, though her eyes flashed with annoyance. She gave Florence a withering looK, but Florence did not wither. In fact, Florence just turned to give more orders to the other ladies. Ann sighed and picked up her pies, carrying them to the designated pie area.

"Your cookies look delicious, as always, Abigail," Molly complimented.

"Thank you, Molly. I hope I made enough," Abigail replied as she looked around the now packed saloon.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty," Florence stated. "After all, we're not feeding everybody for the week!"

Abigail and Molly exchanged smiles over Florence's remark. Florence was a headstrong woman but the other ladies knew that her stubbornness had served her well after her husband died in the mine explosion, along with so many other fathers and sons, leaving her to raise their son alone. Florence, like the other widows, was a survivor.

Molly's gaze shifted from Abigail to the door and Abigail's eyes followed. Elizabeth and Jack had just entered through the archway. Abigail smiled, admiring what a striking couple they were, with Jack wearing his dress suit and tie while Elizabeth wore an elegant blue and cream dress. She noted the lovely corsage of small red and yellow roses that Jack had enlisted her help with, now pinned to the collar of Elizabeth's dress. It complimented her dress splendidly. When Jack brought the roses to her that afternoon, Abigail had wondered where he'd found them. She now realized he must've gotten them from Irene Weaver, who had brought clippings of cemetery roses with her when she and her family had moved to Coal Valley. They were beautiful, delicate roses.

Realizing it was time to get the festivities started, Abigail shook herself from her musings. She turned to Molly and said, "Excuse me," before heading across the room, where the musicians were gathered. "Cat, are you ready?" she asked when she arrived at the piano.

Cat looked up from the piano keys. "Oh, Abigail! Yes, I think so. Ready or not, right gentleman?" she turned to her fellow musicians. They all laughed and nodded.

"Okay," Abigail told them. Then she stood tall and said to the gathered crowd, "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to our town social!"

Everyone stopped talking and offered applause for Abigail's welcome. As the applause subsided, she continued, "It's always so nice for us to get together and enjoy some good fellowship. Tonight, we are delighted to welcome the Ryans and Hesses to Coal Valley!" She applauded and everyone joined her.

The Ryan and Hess families, standing together not far from the dessert table, acknowledged everyone's cordial welcome.

As the applause ended, Abigail continued, "We hope you'll enjoy being a part of our town. Of course, we all work very hard but we also enjoy a good party. Great company, delicious food..." she paused as she motioned towards the dessert tables. "And wonderful music! So, now, without further ado, let the festivities begin! Cat? Gentleman?" She turned to the musicians and they took their cue to play.

Across the saloon, Jack had steered Elizabeth toward his mother, who was standing near her pies at the far end of the dessert table.

"Good evening, Mrs. Thornton!" Elizabeth greeted Ann when they arrived at the table.

Jack leaned over and kissed Ann on her cheek. "Evening, Ma."

Ann smiled. "Hello, Jack, Elizabeth." She paused as she studied Elizabeth for a moment. "That is a beautiful dress," she complimented Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's smile widened. "Thank you!"

"And what a lovely corsage!" Ann gushed, glancing at Jack.

Jack smiled, but didn't look at his mother. He returned to standing next to Elizabeth.

"Thank you," Elizabeth accepted Ann's compliment. "Jack told me you baked his favorite pie for tonight. Sugar pie, I think he said?"

Ann nodded and gestured toward her pies. "Yes. I'll be happy to share the recipe with you," she generously offered.

Elizabeth's mouth opened with a nervous chuckle as she considered her answer carefully. She hated to admit to Jack's mother that she wasn't much of a cook. She almost elbowed Jack in the ribs when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smiling, clearly suppressing a laugh. She finally decided it was best to just be gracious. "Thank you, Mrs. Thornton, I'd like that."

Jack looked at Elizabeth, his eyebrows raised in surprise and his eyes dancing with mischief. He was startled when Abigail walked up and called his name, "Jack!" He swiveled to face her. "Shouldn't you have Elizabeth out on the dance floor? What a lovely song this is!"

Jack nodded and turned to Elizabeth. "She's right! I'm missing a fine dance with you. Shall we?" he asked as he extended his hand to her.

Elizabeth smiled and demurely nodded. She placed her gloved hand in his as they joined others already dancing in the middle of the saloon. As Jack took her in his arms, a smile filled his face. Elizabeth looked up at him, returning his smile.

Abigail looked over at Ann and followed her gaze to Jack and Elizabeth, who were smiling and chatting as they danced. Abigail looked back at Ann and noted her serious expression. She sighed. She was becoming concerned that Elizabeth might be right about Ann's disapproval. Abigail turned her attention back to the dance floor for a few moments, watching the couples enjoy the first dance. When she looked back at Ann, again, she noted that Ann's mouth had now curled up into a smile. Abigail smiled, too, relieved. "They make a handsome couple, don't they?" Abigail asked.

Abigail's question had startled Ann out of her reverie. "Yes, Jack is quite handsome," she told Abigail, "though I am biased. And Elizabeth is a very beautiful young woman."

Abigail was about to respond when their attention was suddenly drawn down the table by Florence asking loudly, "I beg your pardon?" George Brindle was extending his hand to Florence, obviously asking her to dance, and she didn't seem to be taking it well.

When he'd first approached her, Florence had noticed his red hair and recognized him as the miner who had been outbid for her red velvet cake by that crook Sam at the Miners' Games Day cake auction. She hadn't seen him since that day, so his invitation to dance had shocked her.

Brindle cleared his throat and repeated, "Mrs. Blakeley, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

All eyes were on Florence as she appeared to wrestle with her decision. Brindle smiled warmly at her. After a moment, Florence smiled back at Brindle. Her friends were shocked when she answered, "Yes, I'd like that," as she extended her hand to his. Brindle led her out to join the other dancing couples. As they began to dance, both their faces lit up.

All the women at the dessert table watched Florence and Brindle dance. Some began to whisper among themselves, obviously surprised to see Florence dancing. Abigail and Molly exchanged looks, pleased to see Florence enjoying herself.

Mary Dunbar was looking quite happy, too, as she danced with Dewitt Graves. "You look so beautiful, Mary," he commended.

Mary smiled, blushing. "Thank you, Mr. Graves."

Mary's son, Caleb, was on the other side of the saloon, talking with some of the other boys. "Hey Caleb," James called to him.

Caleb looked at James and raised his eyebrows in question. "What?" he asked. Caleb was wary as James had a long history of teasing him.

"I see your Mom's dancing with that miner," James taunted. "Looks like they're getting pretty close."

Caleb looked at his mother and Mr. Graves dancing and smiled. He turned to James, "Yeah, they are."

James laughed and said sarcastically, "You might just be getting a new pa soon!" He looked at Caleb, waiting for the younger boy to get angry.

But, Caleb didn't get angry. Instead, his smiled widened and he said, "You know, you might be right!"

The smile faded from James' face as he saw that he wasn't annoying Caleb. He uttered a frustrated moan and walked away. Caleb looked back at his mother dancing with Mr. Graves. He caught Mr. Graves' eye and nodded at him. Mr. Graves smiled and winked back.

As the dancing continued, the Weaver family entered the saloon through the archway. Irene Weaver headed towards the table where most of the women were standing, setting the cake she'd brought on the table as she greeted her friends. The younger boys headed over to where Caleb and his friends were talking. Wyatt walked over to Wendell Backus, who was standing a couple of feet from the musicians.

"How are you this evening, Mr. Backus?" Wyatt inquired, talking loud enough to be heard over the music.

"I'm doing okay," Backus answered. "I'll be doing better as soon as they start serving them desserts over there and I can get me a cup of coffee."

Wyatt chuckled. "Those desserts do look good!" he agreed. "My ma made her chocolate buttermilk cake. She's famous for it! It's really good!" he gushed. "Do you like chocolate, Mr. Backus?"

"I've enjoyed some chocolate cake in my time. In fact, my dear Ma made a pretty good one every now and then when I was growing up," he answered.

"Well, you'll have to be sure to try some," Wyatt urged Backus. "And then be sure to tell her how much you enjoyed it."

Backus just nodded, as his head bobbed to the music. The musicians were now playing a lively two-step.

Wyatt glanced over at his mother then his gaze returned to Backus. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Umm, Mr. Backus?"

Backus looked back at Wyatt. "Yeah?"

"Well," he began, but seemed unsure of what to say. He inhaled and exhaled, struggling to find the right words for several seconds. Finally, he blurted out, "Would you ask my Ma to dance?"

Backus was stunned. "Uhhh... what?!"

Wyatt shifted his weight from one foot to the other, obviously nervous. He took a deep breath and asked again, "Would you please ask my mother to dance?"

Dumbfounded, Backus stared wide-eyed at Wyatt for a moment before looking away. When he looked back at Wyatt, he opened his mouth to speak a couple of times but he couldn't find the words. He looked away again, this time watching the musicians as he tried to gather his thoughts. Finally, he turned back to Wyatt and was able to ask, "You... you want me to ask your Ma to dance?"

Wyatt nodded. "Yes sir."

Backus shook his head. "Why?"

Wyatt smiled. "Well, she really likes to dance. I'm afraid no one will ask her and I want her to have a nice time. She deserves it. Also, I know you're a gentleman and will be kind to her."

Backus' eyes widened when Wyatt described him as a gentleman. Not many would say that, especially those that knew him during his hard-drinking days. He was certainly flattered that Wyatt would trust him to dance with his mother.

"So, will you?" Wyatt asked, anxious for an answer. "Please!" he begged with an imploring smile.

Backus studied Wyatt as he considered the request. He exhaled slowly before responding, "Okay, kid."

"You will?" Wyatt asked, clearly pleased. "When?"

Backus swallowed hard. "Well," he began, not happy that Wyatt was pressing him for a definite time he'd ask Irene. "Okay... how about when they play a waltz?"

Wyatt smiled widely. "That will be great! Thank you!" he exclaimed, slapping Backus' shoulder. Then, he headed over to where he'd spotted Gem standing with Rachel.

Backus watched Wyatt walk away and then looked over at the dessert table. He spotted Irene Weaver standing with some of the other ladies. He immediately regretted agreeing to Wyatt's request. He never had been one to speak much to girls when he was in school and he certainly didn't do very well trying to talk to women as an adult. He always seemed to get tongue-tied. He considered not following through with his agreement, but decided that wouldn't be right. Wyatt was a good kid and Backus didn't want to let him down. So, he screwed up his courage and walked over to the dessert table. He stood about four feet away from Irene and the other ladies for several minutes.

The musicians ended the two-step and began a waltz. Backus rubbed his hands together nervously, knowing it was time for him to ask. The waltz was the only dance he knew. He gathered all of his courage and approached Irene. "Evening, Mrs. Weaver," he greeted her.

Irene turned to him and smiled. "Oh, good evening, Mr. Backus," she replied.

Several awkward seconds passed before Backus boldly asked in a strained voice, "Would you care to dance with me?"

There was a low gasp from Molly and the other ladies standing nearby who'd heard Backus' request. Irene did not gasp. She answered, "Why, yes, Mr. Backus, I would," as she held out her hand.

Backus' eyes widened with surprise and he smiled. He reached out and grasped her hand gently. As he led Irene to the middle of the saloon to join the other dancing couples, the ladies at the dessert table were dumbfounded. Across the room, Wyatt was clearly pleased when he saw Backus ably leading his mother around the dance floor.

All eyes in the saloon seemed to be on Irene and Backus. However, Jack and Elizabeth were not watching the unlikely couple. It seemed they only had eyes for each other. As they danced, they held each other's gaze and shared their usual lively conversation. Jack had been thinking all night how much he wanted to have some private time with Elizabeth. It had been awhile since they'd taken a walk and he certainly longed for another opportunity to kiss her. "Elizabeth, would you like to join me for a moonlight walk after the dance?" he asked, with solicitous eyes.

Elizabeth saw his furtive look and looked down shyly. The truth was, she, too, had hoped they'd be able to find time to be alone tonight. "That sounds wonderful," she answered in a low voice. She met his gaze with a smile, which he quickly returned, his dimples deepening.

Abigail was standing with Ann, as they both watched the dancers. A well-dressed, middle-aged man approached Abigail. "Good evening, Mrs. Stanton," he greeted her warmly.

Abigail looked at the man, her eyes narrowed. She recognized him but couldn't remember his name.

"Mitch Wiley," he supplied.

Abigail's eyes widened as she remembered. "Yes, you're Mr. Gowen's new assistant." She gave him a civil smile.

"Executive assistant, ma'am," he corrected before inquiring, "How are you this evening?"

"Fine," Abigail answered curtly.

Ann, standing next to Abigail, glanced between Abigail and Wiley. Even though she didn't know Abigail well, she could tell that Abigail was not enjoying this man's attention.

Wiley nodded, again. He seemed unaware of Abigail's coolness toward him. So, he boldly asked, "How about a dance?"

Ann's eyes flew to Abigail, wondering how she would respond. She saw Abigail's face tighten as she shook her head.

Wiley saw it, too, and rushed to stop her rejection. "Please?" he implored. "It's just a dance."

Abigail still looked skeptical but didn't say anything.

Wiley continued his plea. "Just one dance, Mrs. Stanton. Surely you wouldn't turn down an earnest request from someone new to town, would you? Isn't it the neighborly thing to do?"

Abigail exhaled, relenting. "One dance, Mr. Wiley," she stated.

Ann watched as Wiley offered Abigail his hand and she took it. Wiley led her to the dance floor and they began to dance. Ann's gaze moved around the dance floor and fell again on Jack and Elizabeth. She saw Jack's face break into a hearty laugh. Then, Elizabeth's mouth opened as she, too, began to laugh. Ann smiled.

Florence, having just returned from her dance with Brindle, noticed that Ann was now standing by herself. She took the opportunity and approached Ann. "You must be very proud of your son," she said, getting Ann's attention. "We are quite lucky to have him as our constable."

Ann turned face to Florence. "Thank you. It's good to hear he's doing so well," Ann replied with a gracious smile.

"Oh, yes, it's a comfort to know that we have a real lawman instead of those Pinkertons who work for the mine company," Florence explained. She glanced to the dance floor and saw Jack dancing with Elizabeth. She narrowed her eyes momentarily before asking Ann, "Have you had a chance to get to know our school teacher, Miss Thatcher?"

Ann continued watching Jack and Elizabeth dance as she said, "She seems like a very kind young woman."

Florence chuckled. "Yes, she is. I have to say she surprised me."

Ann swiftly shifted her gaze to Florence, who continued without being prompted. "When she first arrived, I thought she was too much of a princess to be a good teacher. But, she has done a pretty good job teaching my boy, I have to admit." Florence looked up to be sure that she had Ann's attention, which she did. "Of course, I don't always agree with her teaching methods. I mean, she sends too much homework sometimes. And she took so much time to teach that Grady boy to read when he clearly had some learning problems. Now, she has the Hansen girl in school with all the other children. That girl has trouble walking and, from what my boys says, Miss Thatcher spends a lot of time trying to get her to write. Our previous schoolteacher wouldn't have those kind of children in school."

Florence paused again to be sure Ann was listening, before going on, "You know, I just heard the other day that she was teaching the Richeys' boy who can't hear to talk with his hands or something. Someone told me she was trying to get him in to some school for the deaf back east." She paused briefly as she made a sound of disapproval. She just couldn't seem to stop herself from rambling on. "And now she and the good constable are courting. She won't have any time for teaching, I dare say. Although, she doesn't really strike me as a suitable wife. She has no real cooking skills. She burned down the teacherage, for heavens' sake! I believe she's led a very pampered life." Florence stopped as she suddenly realized that she may have gone too far. Ann had not said anything in quite a while. She looked at Ann and saw that she was now staring down at the table, an inscrutable look on her face. Florence quickly added, "But, like I said, she is a very kind woman and cares about the children. She stays in that saloon almost every day and..."

Florence was interrupted by Cat announcing from her perch at the piano, "Okay, everyone, thank you so much for joining us this evening! I know you'll all be glad to hear that the dessert tables are now ready! Be sure to sample all the delicious desserts. And enjoy your evening!"

As directed, people made their way to the dessert tables. Jack turned to Elizabeth and asked, "You want to try some of Ma's sugar pie?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I'd love to."

They made their way, Jack holding her hand, to the pie end of the table. Ann looked up as they approached her.

"Ma? How about some of that sugar pie?" Jack requested, smiling.

"Of course," Ann answered as she reached for the knife and served two slices on plates. Jack picked up one plate and offered it to Elizabeth and then grabbed the other plate for himself. As he ate a bite of pie, he looked at Elizabeth to see her reaction.

Elizabeth savored the pie and a smile eased across her mouth. "That's delicious!" She turned to Ann. "That's a wonderful pie, Mrs. Thornton!"

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," Ann replied. She studied Elizabeth, noting her fancy dress and fashionable jewelry. She watched as Jack and Elizabeth enjoyed their pie, chatting and laughing. She looked down the table and spotted Florence, who was now calling orders to the ladies serving the cakes. Ann sighed and glanced back at Jack and Elizabeth. Her eyes narrowed with worry.