CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Myra didn't work for another week, or at least she only worked behind the bar. Each night she went off to bed alone, but Hank either joined her or went to fetch her to his own room. She didn't make much attempt to talk to him about anything important during that time, feeling it better to let him get on and deal with things. Lissy and Janie kept away from him as much as possible, Janie spending most of her time in her room with Zack. No one mentioned the boy to Hank, although Janie did speak to the other two girls about what would be done when her month was up. By silent agreement it was eventually assumed that it would fall to Myra to sort it out, since she appeared to be Hank's favourite and therefore more likely to get a favourable reaction from him.
However, before Myra had chance to decide upon the best way to approach Hank, he was forced to think about the situation. One night when he was playing poker with some of his customers, with Myra serving at the bar and Lissy in her room entertaining, Zack wandered into the bar in his nightshirt. No one noticed at first, the saloon busy and the noise around the poker table deafening, but then suddenly one of the customers spotted the small boy walking around barefoot and pointed him out to his companion. Within minutes, many of the men in the place were looking and whispering.
"Ma? Ma!" Zack was calling as he walked around, looking up in fear at the many large men towering over him.
"Hey, Hank! Yer girl's kid's after a drink," one of the other poker players grinned, glancing behind Hank at Zack.
"What?" Startled, Hank turned around in his chair, just in time to see Zack heading for the swing doors. At that moment Myra darted out from behind the bar and caught him. She grasped his hand, but Zack, apparently alarmed by the crowd, struggled and began screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Ma! Ma! MAAAAAA!"
"Ain't gonna find her in here," someone observed. A number of others laughed.
"Whose is she, huh, Hank?" another man asked. "Fella musta had somethin' missin' up here." He pointed one finger at his own head and twirled it around.
"Myra, get him outta here!" growled Hank, getting up from the table. "What the hell is Janie doin'?"
"I don't know, Hank," Myra sighed, struggling to hold onto the wriggling and screaming child.
"Zack!" Janie appeared at that moment. "I musta fallen asleep," she said. "One minute he was there and the next..."
"Get him back to yer room," Hank hissed. "He can't be in here."
"Well, it wouldn't've happened, would it, if ya found a proper home for him," Janie said under her breath and turned her back on him to take Zack from Myra.
"I'll deal with you later," Hank retorted, glowering at her.
"I'll look forward to it; I got somethin' to talk to you about, Hank," said Janie sharply before gathering up the now calm and sniffling Zack in her arms and returning to her room.
"You get back to work an' all, there's plenty of fellas in here wantin' company," Hank said to Myra suddenly.
She looked up at him, her face falling. "But ya said ya didn't want me workin'," she protested.
"Well, ya had long enough slackin', I'm tryin' to make money here!" Hank snapped. "Go on!"
Myra stared at him for another moment and then turned away and headed towards one of the men who wasn't involved in the poker game. Hank returned to the table, but his mind was no longer on his cards and he lost the money he had put into it, causing his temper to mount even further. By the time the saloon closed, he was ready to start a fight with the first person who got in front of him. He avoided Myra and went to Janie's room. She was sitting on the bed sewing something while Zack now slept.
"Come out here," Hank said to her.
Janie put her work down and got up at once, following him out into the bar. Before he had chance to open his mouth, she spoke.
"I ain't doin' this no more, Hank. I'm leavin'," she said. "I ain't a nanny. A real one'd get paid for lookin' after the kid. I'll be able to work again real soon, but I ain't stayin' here to do it. I've had enough."
"You had enough? Everythin' that's happened around here is 'cause of you!" Hank began.
"Well, ya won't have to worry about that no more. I'm goin' tomorrow," retorted Janie.
"What about yer contract? Ya think ya can just walk out? I'll have ya locked up!"
"Maybe ya oughta check the contract, Hank," snapped Janie. "You mighta lost track of time lately, but I ain't. Them contracts were for five years and I'm guessin' we've been here near on six. Which means all of us could leave right now and there ain't a thing ya can do about it."
Hank frowned, thinking about Zack who was past his fifth birthday, remembering that he had taken on Myra and Lissy not that long after Clarice got pregnant and then Janie right after they got to Colorado Springs. Janie was right; it was approaching six years. With everything that had been going on, the time had slipped away from him and he was only surprised that Lissy and Myra hadn't said anything about the contracts. Apparently they hadn't realised either.
"Alright," he said after a moment. "Go if ya want."
Janie's mouth fell open. She had expected him to argue, to lose his temper, tell her she was wrong.
"Oh. Well. I'll leave in the mornin'," she said and walked back to her room, glancing curiously over her shoulder as she went.
Hank leaned against the bar with a sigh. Now it was only a matter of time before Lissy and Myra followed Janie and he was left alone. Alone with a kid he barely knew, who even seemed scared of him. Clarice was probably cursing him, wherever she was. Cursing him for failing her and for failing Zack.
"Hank?"
He raised his eyes to Myra's face. She sure hadn't wasted any time. He could hardly blame her though, especially after tonight.
"You gonna leave me too?" he asked before she could open her mouth.
Myra stared at him. "What d'ya mean?"
"Janie quit," he said, surprised the other girl hadn't told her. "The contracts expired 'bout a year ago. With everythin' that's been goin' on around here, I ain't been keepin' track of time."
"Oh!" Myra's eyes widened.
"So are ya leavin' or not?" He wouldn't be in the least surprised if she said yes and he gritted his teeth as he waited for the answer.
"Hank, I ain't leavin' ya," Myra said after a long pause.
He blinked. "You ain't?"
"No. Where am I gonna go, huh? 'Sides, I need the money. Suzannah'll be ready to go to college in the fall. The Bartons can't afford to send her, but I can so long as I keep on workin'. 'S'what I been savin' for."
"Well, I guess I better get a new contract sorted out then," said Hank.
"Alright."
"What about Lissy? Ya reckon she'll stay or go?"
"I don't know, Hank, but she ain't said nothin' about wantin' to leave."
"I'll take a trip back to Denver, find a couple new girls," said Hank thoughtfully. "This place is gettin' empty."
"What about Zack?"
Hank sighed heavily. "Ya think the same as Janie?"
She nodded. "We all do. It ain't no life for him here, Hank. He's scared of all the noise and strange fellas."
"Includin' me," put in Hank sadly.
"He keeps wantin' to go back to Clarice's room, like he thinks she's still in there. He don't understand. It'd be better for him away from here. Older he gets, more difficult it's gonna be to keep him from wanderin' off. He needs to be with somebody who can look after him proper."
"I know that," Hank said quietly. "I guess I wanted him to stay here 'cause he's part of Clarice. But what good am I to him, huh? I ain't no father to him. Kid don't even know who I am. Last thing Clarice said was that she wanted me to find a good home for him. I wasn't much good to her when she was here and I'm still failin' her now she's gone."
"Hank, ya can put that right," Myra said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "We'll find somewhere he can be happy."
He nodded slowly. "Got any ideas?"
"No, but I'll ask around. If ya want me to."
Hank nodded again. Myra left him and went to her room and after a moment he went to see Lissy. Better to get everything sorted out in one go. He opened the door and found her in her nightgown, about to get into bed.
"I ain't leavin'," she said before he could open his mouth. "Janie told me she's goin' in the mornin'. I guessed the contracts ran out too, but I figured it's more trouble than it's worth goin' lookin' for another job. Unless yer gonna fire me."
Hank shook his head. "Myra's stayin' too. I'll get some new contracts done."
"Sure." Lissy nodded. "What about Zack?"
"Myra's gonna find someone to take him."
"I'm glad," said Lissy.
Hank left her and went back to his room. He didn't feel like sleeping and for once he didn't want to drink himself into oblivion either. He pulled out the box with the old contracts in it, tore up Janie's and then found paper and pen and began to laboriously copy out the other two. When he came to Myra's he found himself hesitating before he wrote 'five years'. He'd already lost everybody he ever cared about and although he couldn't say he loved Myra - he doubted he'd ever love anybody again - he did feel something for her and he didn't want to think about her walking out in five years time when she didn't need to pay for Suzannah's education any more. She was the only one who ever seemed to understand him; the only one who made him feel better about himself. He chewed the end of the pen and considered adding on a few more years. She hadn't even noticed her contract expired a year before and he doubted she'd count off the days of the new one. In addition she couldn't read so whatever he put, she'd probably never know. He wrote 'seven years' and finished with his signature.
In the morning, Janie left right after breakfast and Lissy and Myra signed their new contracts with a cross. Neither one asked how long they were for and obviously assumed they were identical to the originals. He placed the documents in the box and returned it to the cupboard beneath the bar.
Myra went out shortly after and was gone for most of the morning. When she returned, she had some news.
"Hank, ya remember that fella, Murphy? The one who had this place before?"
"Yeah."
"Well, he died a few weeks back."
"Am I supposed to fetch him flowers or somethin'?" Hank said drily.
"Of course not. He had two girls, Ruby and...Mary or Marie? Anyhow, Ruby stayed with him after they left here, in some little cabin outta town."
"Is there a point to this?" asked Hank impatiently.
"I'm gettin' to it. Ruby was in Mr Bray's store this mornin'. He's refusin' her credit now Murphy's gone, 'cause he thinks he ain't gonna get paid. She's on her own. I was thinkin', maybe she'd take Zack."
"Another whore?" Hank frowned.
"She ain't one now. She's gettin' on for fifty, I'd say. Maybe she'd be glad to do it, if ya paid her. She might like the company and she'd certainly like the money."
"I dunno," Hank said doubtfully. "Ya know anythin' about her?"
"No, but Mr Bray probably does. And Jake. They've been here a lot longer than us."
"Alright. Thanks, Myra."
Hank spent the rest of the day and night thinking about it. That evening, with Janie gone, Zack once again appeared in the bar and Myra was forced to stop working and keep him away from the customers. As it was, many of the men began gossiping about the weird whore's kid and muttering that he oughtn't to be living in the saloon. Then when the bar closed, Loren and Jake stayed behind.
"Hank, we want to have a word with ya," Loren said, looking a touch nervous.
"Yeah, it's about that kid," added Jake, taking a couple of steps away and putting a table between himself and Hank. "Ya know, ya oughta think about..."
"You two inteferin' again?" interrupted Hank.
"Now, Hank, it ain't right," Loren began again. "He shouldn't be seein' the things that go on here. Not to mention that he makes folks uncomfortable."
"I'm lookin' for someone to take care of him," said Hank. "Someone outta town. Myra mentioned this woman, Ruby."
"Ruby Johnson? Murphy's old whore?" said Jake.
"Yeah. What's she like?"
"Weeellllll," Loren said doubtfully. "She's alright, I 's'pose, far as whores go. It may be that she's lonely since Murphy passed on. Might be happy to have the kid. She's a tough old bird; she'd cope alright, I'm guessin'."
"Could work out," added Jake. "His ma was a whore after all, he'd feel right at home. What d'you care about where he goes anyhow, Hank?"
Hank scowled, but said nothing.
"Well, we'll be goin'," Loren said at this point. "Come on, Jake."
The pair made their way to the door quickly and Hank remained in the bar for a while, considering what they and Myra had told him. Maybe it would be best all round and it would certainly be better for Zack to have a proper home.
The next day he called on Jake briefly to find out where Ruby's cabin was and then rode out to it, taking with him a package of supplies he bought from Loren. The woman was out in front of the cabin when he arrived, pulling up potatoes which appeared to be the only crop she had grown. She looked up curiously as he dismounted.
"Ruby Johnson?"
"Yes. Yer that fella who took over the saloon from Murphy," she said.
"Ya remember me?"
"Sure. I never forget a face. Ain't so good with names, though."
"I'm Hank Lawson. I got somethin' for ya. Heard Loren's refusin' ya credit." He handed over the package of food.
"Why would ya do this for me?" she asked.
"I'm hopin' ya'll do somethin' for me in return. I'm willin' to pay too."
Ruby listened in silence as he told her about Zack and his mother's death.
"Saloon ain't no place for a little boy," Ruby agreed. "Guess I'd like the company out here. Gets pretty lonely at times. What're ya payin'?"
"Five dollars a week," Hank said. "A month at a time in advance."
"That's a lotta money. He mean somethin' to ya?" Ruby's brow wrinkled.
"I promised his ma. The money'll feed the both of ya and get him clothes and things. Whatever he needs. If it turns out not to be enough, I'll increase it later."
Ruby nodded. "Sounds like a fair arrangement. When d'ya want to bring him?"
"Later today?"
"Alright."
Hank nodded and pulled twenty dollars out of his pocket. "This is for the first month. I'll send one of the girls over in the future."
Ruby took the money and Hank swung up onto his horse and galloped away towards town, hoping he had made the right decision.