Thank you for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!
Standard disclosure.
MC. Kinley High, Lima, Ohio.
Mercedes Jones sat in her small, sparse office and re-read the lawyer's letter, as she poured herself a cup of tea.
She felt a little sad, at the news of the death of her mother's 'younger sister' and only living relative…which means now, Mercedes was truly alone in the world.
But then, she had only seen her God-aunt, only a few times as a child and a couple times as an adult.
There seemed to be tension at the time, between her strict widowed mother and 'Aunt Sue', so she decided to keep her distance, for peace sake.
Just yesterday, she received notice from the Lima bank, that the monthly stipends that had been arriving for the last ten years, would be coming to an end.
Her titled father's estate was exhausted, no doubt. It had been a God-send in helping Mercedes and her sickly mother to live comfortably.
Since her mother's death, she's been helping to pay impoverished kids' tuition, by living frugally.
And now, this morning, this letter had come from Texas, with hope of good news.
Did she dare add sugar to her tea? A simple thought, but it was not a luxury Mercedes allowed herself often, nor jam for her toast.
As a teacher, she could just hold her head above water and she spent every extra penny she had, helping poor, talented students, as she had been helped, with a scholarship.
Yet, according to this letter, she could now afford to splurge.
The three students she was aiding at the moment, would graduate next month, ending that expense.
Fifty thousand dollars was hers, and another twenty thousand, when or if, she signed over her share of the hotel.
She would be a woman of considerate means.
Brushing a wisp of dark hair back, into her tight bun, Mercedes went to the window and looked out at the kids crossing the lawns of the high school.
She had hoped for a husband and children of her own, but it looked like that was not to be.
In the few years since she'd graduated, when she might have met a nice young man, she was busy nursing her sick mother, so there was no time for socializing.
Besides, as her mother had so often pointed out, she was short, thick and curvy and very plain to look at, with undignified freckles across her nose, for someone 'dark'.
At twenty-eight, she had long since stopped hoping…although one student's father had once hinted, that he could be very generous for a little warmth…wink, wink.
She had stopped him in his tracks, with a frosty stare and he never approached her again.
Her mother and 'Aunt Sue' had both been two very pretty women.
Mercedes always thought, they were prettier than her.
Perhaps she'd taken after her highborn father, whose ship had been lost at sea, before she was born.
Outside, spring was still weeks away and she wondered what Texas was really like.
'Warm, most certainly. A vast place of cows, cowboys and savages…according to the books I've read…certainly more interesting and challenging, than spending year after year just teaching…'
A cool wind blew through the building, interrupting her thoughts and she shivered.
What to do, was the question foremost in her mind.
She now owned half a hotel…or something like it. Doesn't matter. Should she take the money and stay in Lima? Or should she be daring?
When she thought about it, she'd never really done anything daring in her life.
Her strict mother would've frowned on anything that wasn't highly respectable.
She's been gone now, five years, but still manages to be impactful in Mercedes' life.
Mercedes hadn't written 'Aunt Sue' when her mother had died, honestly, she wasn't that sure where to find her.
In this day of technology, it was still difficult to track down a person, especially when you have meagre means to do so.
Her guess, 'Aunt Sue' was going by an alias. Maybe she was wrong, but that is what she believed.
But Texas sounded full of possibilities and it was, for all intents and purposes, a change from her mundane life in Lima.
Right then and there, she made a decision. She would go to Nacogdoches and see this business for herself, before deciding whether to sell or not.
After all, her 'aunt' had also left her fifty thousand dollars and school would be out soon.
If she decided she didn't like Texas, she could always sell out to her aunt's partner and be back in Lima in time for fall classes.
She needed to email this lawyer and let him know she was coming.
Late May, the train station in Nacogdoches
It was sundown on a warm Saturday evening, as Mercedes stepped off the train.
Why she opted to ride, instead of fly, she didn't know.
The weather was so hot, she regretted wearing the dark jersey dress and leggings she currently had on.
She stood there, holding her suitcases and looking around. It was about supper time and there weren't many people about.
The town looked to be a prosperous one, with many shops up and down the main street.
Behind her, the train whistled a warning and then began to puff and hiss, as it started out of town.
She had a sudden impulse to run after it, get back on it, and return to the safe, secure life she knew so well.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' she thought, reminding herself.
She straightened her shoulders as she looked around, wondering where she could find a car rental.
In her haste, she'd forgotten all about it. But of course, a hotel should be right in the heart of town.
A mature woman with a little boy in tow, came out of a shop and walked passed her.
"Excuse me. Could you direct me to the Texas Lily?" The woman stopped in her tracks and glared at her.
"How dare you!" Mercedes was taken aback.
"I beg your pardon?" She blinked in confusion and stepped back, but the woman only huffed and strode on, almost dragging the little boy.
A young army Lieutenant, had just stepped out of a nearby store on the corner and looked at her strangely.
He was handsome, but short, with brown hair and a thin wispy mustache.
"Excuse me, ma'am." He took off his hat and bowed, surprising her. "Perhaps she misunderstood what you've asked."
"I don't know why she was so upset. I'm new in town and I was looking for the Texas Lily."
"Allow me to introduce myself. "I'm Lieutenant Buford Fortenbury and I can tell by your accent, you're definitely not from around here."
"Hardly," Mercedes spat. "That's what I said before. Anyway, my name is Mercedes Jones and I'm from Lima, Ohio and I'm looking for the Texas Lily."
"Indeed."
First, he looked confused, then mystified, as his pale face turned a rosy red hue.
"And, may I ask, what business a lady would have…" He was unceremoniously cut off by a put-out Mercedes Jones.
"No, you may not!" she snapped and then regretted her peevishness.
Her mother would be so horrified at her behavior. This officer was obviously attempting to be of service, but she was weary, hot and a little cross, now that darkness had fallen.
"Sir, I'm sorry. If you would kindly direct me to the Texas Lily, I would appreciate it."
"You could have fooled me, you know that?" the Lieutenant winked at her. "You don't look like the type Sam Evans hires to…" He stopped, suddenly.
"To what?" Mercedes asked, drawing herself up to her full height, which, sadly didn't even match the Lieutenant's.
"For your information sir, I am the new half-owner of the Texas Lily."
"The Lily?" He looked blank, then smiled. "My abject apologies, Miss Jones." He bowed again. "I was just running some errands for Major Figgins, so I have his car. Please allow me to drive you to the establishment." Mercedes smiled with relief.
"You know my aunt's place?"
"Your aunt?" He took her suitcase and her elbow, and they walked towards the car. "Sue Sylvester was your aunt?" Mercedes nodded, as he helped her into the car.
"Not by blood and I haven't seen her in years."
"Really?" He took his seat next to her and smiled, as he buckled his seat belt. Mercedes began to warm up to him.
"Yes. What kind of town is this, anyway?" she asked. He gave her a weak smile.
"A prosperous one, with a fort…well…Old Stone Fort Museum, and ranches all around. But the people here are really country bumpkins…most of them and worse yet…they're all Texans. I'm hoping for a transfer soon, to Washington, D.C."
"Hmm. Tell me about the Texas Lily. Does it do good business?" The Lieutenant made a choking sound.
"I…I really wouldn't know."
"Where is it, anyway?"
"It's just up ahead. That big building right up on the hill, at the end of this street, is the Texas Lily."
"Oh, wow!" Mercedes breathed, as they came to a stop in front of it.
The Texas Lily stood three stories in the air. It looked like a Victorian mansion from back in the nineteenth century, complete with turrets and a gingerbread trim.
A horseshoe-shaped drive, encircled a large lawn and flowerbeds of common orange day-lilies, centering around a big birdbath.
Lights streamed from all the windows, it seemed, and there were many cars dotted about the property.
"It seems to be doing a landslide business," a naive Mercedes said. The Lieutenant blanched, but schooled his features and replied,
"It always does on Saturday night…or so I've been told." He helped her out of the vehicle and walked up to the ornate stained-glass front doors.
"Is that a goat among the day-lilies?" she asked, blinking, not quite sure of what she had seen.
"Oh, that's Sherwin, the billy goat. He was Sue's pet." The goat glared at them, waggled his grey beard and returned to munching the day-lilies.
"I thought all billy goats were always named Billy." The officer laughed.
"This one is named for the fort's founder…I understand there's a resemblance." Mercedes chuckled. From inside, came the sound of laughter and music.
"Wow! They seem to be having a good time," she said.
"They usually do. Miss Jones, I think you should know…"
"Yes?"
"Never mind." He turned to go, and Mercedes asked,
"Aren't you coming in?" He shook his head from side to side.
"I…I think I should wait for you in the car."
"Oh... why? I'll be staying, since I'm now half owner." He hesitated again.
"Miss Jones, about the Texas Lily…"
"What?"
He hesitated again.
Mercedes began to feel a bit miffed at him, thinking him rude, for stopping and starting and not escorting her into the building like a proper gentleman should.
She turned away, realizing he wasn't going to answer her, and rang the doorbell.
She could hear loud music and men talking. Somewhere on the inside, a woman laughed, a little too un-ladylike for her.
Mercedes' limited experience with hotels, B&B's and such like, made her puzzled over the racket, but, she'd heard Texans were rowdy by nature.
Her thoughts drifted to the other owner.
'Probably some old Texas rancher, or maybe a back-east hotel man…or, at the very least, an Irish man.'
She wrinkled her nose. Her mother had often told her, Irish men were vulgar and low-class.
She heard footsteps and then a frail Hispanic woman, in a maid's uniform, opened the door.
The smell of cigar smoke enveloped them both, and behind the woman, Mercedes could see crowds of men and girls...dressed in short, gaudy outfits.
"What in the name of God is going on here?"
"Who is you, lady?" the elderly woman asked.
Mercedes pushed passed her into the hallway. She was immediately thrown into a tail-spin, as she was seemingly transported into an early nineteenth century saloon.
The inside was as large as a ballroom, with an open balcony, overlooking the room.
The drapes were red velvet and through the swirl of cigar smoke, she saw men at tables playing cards or leaning against an ornate bar.
In the background, an off-key piano banged away at Buffalo Gals.
Mercedes couldn't understand the kind of behavior that was taking place in her 'aunt's' fine establishment.
She marched into the room and stood looking around, confused and outraged.
As the raucous crowd noticed her, they moved and quietened, waiting to see what would happen.
Sam was feeling really good tonight.
It was about time his luck changed.
In his hand, he held a royal flush. He hadn't had one since the night Sue Sylvester crashed through that railing and came sailing off that balcony, landing on the billiard table.
Yep, his luck was running wild tonight.
Just as he was about to bet, he realized the room was growing quiet and heads were turning towards the door.
The music quit mid-note. '
What the hell…'
Sam frowned, as he craned his neck to see what the distraction was.
A short, thick, curvy girl, stood in the middle of the entry, and now, she was marching into the room like a warship under full sail and ready for battle.
Her hair was dark, almost like black velvet, pulled into a tight bun, making her look as stiff as a poker.
Her no-nonsense face, with a few freckles scattered over her nose, was frowning.
This was a respectable lady, there was no doubt about it.
But, just what was she doing in a place like this?
The silence was deafening, as everyone turned to look at her.
"I demand to see Mr. Sam Evans," she said, in a strange accent, that could cut glass with its sharpness.
Uh-oh! This couldn't be good.
Sam stood up from the poker table with a sigh and turned his hand upside-down on the table.
"Anybody touch my cards before I get back, I'll make him eat my fist," he drawled and then stepped forwards to greet the lady.
"Sam Evans at your service, ma'am." He made a sweeping bow. "And to whom do I have the honor of…"
"What is the meaning of all these…shenanigans? This is no way to run a hotel. It must stop immediately."
"What?"
Sam was seldom at a loss for words, but any man would wither under the glare of those cold brown eyes.
"Mr. Evans," she snapped. "I am your new partner. I am Mercedes Jones."
Oh, hell! His luck just ran out.
That's it for this chapter. I hope it was good enough.