Three Days Later…

Lucy really needed to find work or move on soon. Colorado Springs didn't have nearly as much opportunity as she had seen upon arrival. She was beginning to run out of money for her lodging and food.

She donned the only 'Sunday' dress she had (and one of only two she owned entirely), a jade-green calico frock that was a little snug in the chest. Lucy wished she had a shawl to wrap over her rather large breasts, but that cost money…money she presently needed to ensure that she wouldn't be spending Tuesday night sleeping in the gutter or on the porch of the telegraph office. Binding her merciless tangles as best she could into a loose braid, Lucy figured that if she didn't look like an acceptable employee today, she might as well run off into the woods and try to live off the land.

The township seemed to have a bit more hesitation towards accepting strangers than Brooklyn. The General Store already had enough women working in it (and the older man running the place seemed skeptical to taking in a drifter), the school had a teacher, and the only other place that seemed to hire women at all was The Gold Nugget…and Lucy refused to work as a harlot to make ends meet.

But where else could she go? The train conductor told her not to bother sneaking aboard again…he would tell everyone on the rails to beware of a red-haired woman without a ticket. She couldn't hire a stage coach. She only had enough money for two more nights unless she found a job.

This was her last chance…she approached the black woman who ran the outdoor café as the general public gravitated towards the church house just outside of the main street. The woman had a young boy on her shoulder…she always seemed like she could not physically bring herself to let the babe go. Her husband always walked at her side when he wasn't working as a blacksmith.

"Excuse me! Mrs…Mrs…" Lucy realized she didn't even know the café owner's name. Instead, she dashed to catch up with the family. Finally, the woman turned her head about a hundred feet from the church.

"May I help you?" The woman had a graceful, smooth Southern drawl.

"Yes, you run the café?" asked Lucy.

"I do indeed," the woman replied.

"Ma'am, my name is Lucile, and I really need some work. I'm new in town and I've been looking all week—"

"—I don't know. It's taken two years to get up on our feet after the bank crash, and we're just now getting back to normal!" The woman looked to her companion/husband's face for advice on what to say next.

"Please? Please, ma'am?" Lucy found herself begging. "In two days I'll be out of money, and I have no way out of town right now."

The woman looked at her husband, then down to her son, who was drowsily napping on her shoulder.

"Well, I always try to help a woman in need," she mumbled. "Do you mind if I start you on the breakfast and lunch shifts? It's a lot to deal with, but the tips are usually better. I'll let you keep half to start, and if you do well after a month, I'll let you keep all of your tips. Is that a deal?"

Lucy nodded eagerly. The woman extended her free hand to shake Lucy's.

"You can call me Grace, Lucile. And this is my husband, Robert E, and our son Solomon."

"If you wish, you can call me Lucy," Lucy replied.

"I hope I can trust you to work hard," Grace said. "I don't usually hire people I don't know!"

"My last job was in a boarding house in Brooklyn. I was their maid in return for food and board."

"Then you should catch on quickly. Waiting tables and washing dishes isn't much different," Grace said, smiling cautiously. "Are you headed to service?"

Lucy shrugged. "I suppose I should."

"There's a church picnic right after. I can introduce you to some of the other townsfolk you might not have met yet," Grace offered. Lucy nodded.

"Well, pleasure to meet you, Lucy," Robert E chimed in with a warm smile. "We'd better hurry up, or we'll be late!"

As if on a cue, the sound of a congregation singing 'Bringing in the Sheaths' echoed from the church, the door still slightly ajar to allow stragglers in. Grace and Robert E picked up their pace, but Lucy dawdled a second longer.

Well, at least now I have livelihood. She seems nice. I just hope the others around here are a just as open-minded.

The morning was cool for an early-spring day, so it struck Lucy as odd off-hand for there to be a picnic scheduled. The dew on the short grass as well as the mud from the dirt road had already soaked through the old brown boots Lucy wore under her green dress. But the day was bright and blue. There weren't tall metal building obscuring the sun from warming her face like there were in Hell's Kitchen, no smoke from the factories and mills. It was quieter too, and more peaceful in spite of the loud crescendo of the hymn wafting around in the air. She could stand there all morning…

Before her mind began wandering (again), Lucy snapped out of her trance and quickly climbed up the steps into the church.

The first thing Lucy saw was how small the house was. There was hardly any room left in even the pews furthest back. The room was uncomfortable and hot, but the joyous sounds of music and prayer helped open the place up a little. Lucy hadn't been to a church service in nearly three years, since her brother's funeral. She decided to stand against the back wall and hope the Reverend wasn't much for long-winded speeches.

Up the aisle at the front of the room, the Reverend had caught sight of her as she made her way into the back corner of the sanctuary. He had been leading the hymn with a rich, gentle tenor, but he stopped short upon seeing her. Lucy looked around her. Was she supposed to squeeze in somewhere? Was that a rule?

The Reverend himself was younger than Lucy had remembered from her brief encounter with him the moment she arrived in town. He had a short, neat beard, auburn hair, and a very comforting, gentle smile. His eyes seemed to widen, and his expression become animated with some positive emotion Lucy had never seen on a clergyman's face.

The hymn ended, and the Reverend began his service after a pause. Lucy didn't take her eyes off of him the entire time. She could have sworn the Reverend looked in her direction a few more times than was traditional as well…

By one o'clock that afternoon, the first church picnic of the year was in full swing. The children of the grade school had spent some time making games for everyone to play. Grace was serving up a spread full of grilled meats, fresh corn bread, vegetables, and pound cake with whipped cream. The sun had warmed the air a bit, though it was still a little colder than usual for the time of year. But for Timothy, there was nothing greater than just to be there, under the gaze of the Father and embraced in the love of the Son.

Children laughed and ran around visiting the various games the school had set up. A pair of fiddlers played merrily by the church steps. People smiled and greeted one another.

Among them, the redheaded stranger in her green dress, which was slightly tattered around the skirt hem. Her hair glowed in the sun. Her cheeks were blushed, her dimples pronounced when she smiled. Timothy took a breath and prayed. Oh Lord, give me the courage to finish what I'm about to start.

She had her back to Timothy has he weaved through the crowd, politely greeting everyone who got between them. She wasn't being very social for being at a picnic.

Timothy cleared his throat. "I…uh…never got a chance to thank you for helping me last Thursday."

She turned around to face him. She had hazel eyes. Hazel eyes that preferred green.

"Oh, Reverend," said the girl, blinking up at him and smiling. "I didn't do very much. The Mayor and his wife got you to the clinic."

Timothy shook his head. "Nevertheless, uh…thank you for finding me. I must admit that…uh…"

"Lucile. My name is Lucile Greene. But I prefer Lucy."

"That's such a—a—lovely name," Timothy said, stuttering. Lucy bowed her head.

"And your name is Johnson….Reverend Johnson," she replied.

"Well, yes, but I'm sure you could call me Tim—"

"—there you are, Lucile!" chimed Preston from nearby. He waved Lucy over, though she didn't move. After a moment, Preston finally sauntered over himself. His gait was so confident, with a twinge of arrogance in spite of his humbled, compromised position in the community.

In turn, Lucile looked back up to Timothy apologetically.

"Lucile, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me on a walk down by the brook," Preston asked, offering his arm.

"Actually, I was getting to know a few people around here," Lucy declined. "I just got a job helping Grace with her café. So it looks like I'll be here awhile. I figured I'd get to know some of the people."

Preston shrugged. "Many of them aren't used to the finer ways of living like us city children."

"City children?" asked Timothy.

"Oh, didn't she tell you? She's from New York City. I'm from Boston, so we have quite a bit in common. I'm helping her get used to the ways of the west," Preston explained. Lucy smiled up at him.

"Yes, he has been very helpful," she mumbled.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to talk a stroll with me?" he repeated.

Timothy dropped his shoulder. "I understand, I have other—"

"—I'd rather stay here with the Reverend," Lucy stated firmly. "I know you already, Mr. Lodge. But I don't know anything about him yet."

Preston's smile never left his face, but it significantly faded. "Oh, well then. I hope to have that walk with you another time, Lucile." He turned to Timothy. "Reverend," he acknowledged.

"Preston," Timothy replied. Preston turned on his heel and walked further into the crowd. Lucy didn't look back at him. Instead, she looked up at Timothy again and grinned, flashing her beautiful white teeth.

"Come to think of it," she said softly. "I haven't been to the brook yet. Perhaps you'd like to show me?"