CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Hank paused at the door to the Gold Nugget and then turned and headed for the bank, deciding not to waste any time in tackling Preston. Maybe somehow he could be persuaded - or conned - into selling his share of the hotel back to Hank. However, he found the bank locked up with a 'closed' sign hanging outside. He hammered on the door and peered through the window, but there was no sign of Preston in there. Hank assumed he must have gone to the Chateau, but couldn't be bothered riding over there to look for him. He strode back down the street to the Gold Nugget; Preston would show up sooner or later and when he did...
"Psst! Hank!"
Hank halted, eyes widening as he spotted the very man he had been looking for lurking around the side of the saloon and beckoning urgently to him. He strode towards him quickly.
"I need to talk to ya!" Preston exclaimed at once.
"Damn straight ya do, Jake had no business doin' what he did and I'm not...!"
"I wanna sell my share of the Gold Nugget," interrupted Preston. "Are you interested?"
Hank was stunned. Preston had bought Jake's share probably not much more than an hour ago. "You wanna sell yer share? The same one ya just bought from Jake?" he said.
"Yes!" Preston glanced behind him and then over Hank's shoulder, as if he expected someone to be listening in.
"What's the catch?" asked Hank with a frown.
"No catch. Are you interested or not?"
"Sure I'm interested. My offer's the same one I made to Jake." He paused briefly. He had offered Jake a thousand dollars, but he doubted Preston knew that. Besides, Preston was looking pretty desperate. "Eight hundred dollars," he added.
"Eight hundred! That's robbery!" Preston cried.
Hank said nothing, but merely raised one eyebrow and waited.
"Okay, fine. Eight hundred," said Preston. "But I need the money right now."
"Sure," Hank agreed, grinning now, unable to believe his luck. He didn't much care why Preston suddenly seemed keen to obtain some cash. The Gold Nugget was all his, for a lot less than it was worth. He patted Preston on the shoulder and led him into the building. "Wait there," he said, leaving Preston in the bar while he went up to his room.
The metal box beneath his bed was crammed with so many bills it would barely shut and he relieved it of eight hundred dollars, then returned to the bar. Preston was sitting at a table in the corner, looking as shifty as a bank robber. A folded document lay on the table in front of him and when Hank sat down, Preston pushed it towards him. It was the agreement he and Jake had signed. Preston had added another line to the bottom of it, stating that he was passing over his share in the business to Hank for the sum of eight hundred dollars.
"Ya didn't waste no time," grunted Hank, giving him the money.
"I'm in a hurry, Hank."
"Lose a wager or somethin'?" Hank picked up the pen which lay on the table and signed the document.
"In a manner of speaking." Preston shoved his chair back and got up. "Pleasure doing business." He was gone before Hank could even shake his hand.
Hank began to grin now, looking around him at the saloon, the hotel, the manager behind the bar and the girls, a couple of guests sitting in a corner drinking coffee. It was all his. Which meant there was nothing stopping him going to St Louis right away - or in a couple of days after he'd had time to gloat a little. He thought about the letter and the telegram he'd sent Myra and considered sending another message, but then decided against it. He would surprise her instead. In the meantime, he couldn't wait to pay Jake a little visit.
"What d'ya want, Hank?" Jake said warily as Hank stepped into the barber's shop. Loren was in the chair, lathered in soap and about to be shaved.
Hank grinned. "Just came to say thanks."
"Huh?" Jake gave a puzzled frown.
"For refusin' my offer."
"I thought ya didn't wanna be in business with Preston."
"I ain't. He sold his share to me. For less than I offered you," smirked Hank. "I'm sole owner."
Jake and Loren both looked astonished now.
"Why would he do that?" wondered Loren. "He must be desperate for money."
"But he's rich," said Jake.
"Seems not." Hank walked out again, still grinning. He didn't much care why Preston had sold to him. He was better off than he had been just hours before.
The next day revealed why Preston had been so keen to sell. He had since called in Dorothy's loan on the Gazette and advertised the Chateau for sale, then locked himself in the bank. The Denver Herald arrived announcing the stock market had crashed and people all across the country were trying to get their money out of the banks. Within minutes of the arrival of the newspaper in Colorado Springs, the message was being passed from one person to another and pretty soon a crowd had gathered outside the bank, yelling at Preston to come out and give them their money. It seemed he had gambled the money on stocks and lost it, leaving many people with nothing.
Hank just shrugged when he heard the news. The only person who gambled his money was himself and he usually won - it was safer in its box under his bed than in any bank. He packed a bag now and told the manager he was leaving for St Louis.
"How long will ya be?" the man asked.
"A week, maybe two or three."
"I wonder if I might ask for a small advance? My money was all in the bank."
"That'll teach ya. I keep mine with me." Hank grinned now and pulled twenty dollars out of his pocket. "This do?"
"Sure. Thanks, Hank, I appreciate it."
Hank nodded. "Ya need any more, keep some back from the takin's and pay the girls outta what they bring in. If I stay longer than planned, I'll send a wire."
Two hours later, Hank was on the train to Denver, his best suit and shirts in his bag and a smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see Myra. He stayed one night in Denver, then spent an hour in the morning at a jewellery store, picking out a ring. He had no idea what would be suitable, only that it had to be different from the one Horace had given her. That had been a single small diamond.
"Diamonds are traditional," the female assistant told him as she showed him a whole tray of diamond rings. "Ladies all love diamonds. How about something like this?" She indicated a single large diamond which shone in the sunlight coming through the window like the moon when it was full. It would dwarf Myra's small slim fingers. Hank shook his head.
"She wouldn't like it."
"Well, other stones are starting to become popular in engagement rings," the lady said doubtfully. "We have some rubies and sapphires." She put the tray of diamonds away and brought out another smaller tray with rings set with red and blue stones. Most were large and not particularly attractive, but one at the edge of the tray caught Hank's eye. Five small rubies set in a row with the tiniest of diamonds filling in the gaps left by the curves of the red stones. The whole was set in a narrow gold band. He lifted it out of the tray and examined it more closely. He could see Myra wearing it. He looked at the assistant's hands now, small, slender hands much like Myra's.
"Will ya try it on? Her hands are about the size of yours," he said.
"Of course, Sir." She took the ring and slipped it onto her finger, then held her hand up for inspection. It fitted perfectly and the stones were exactly the right size.
"I'll take it."
"Would you like to know the price first?" asked the lady.
"I don't care."
"Very well." She took the ring off, placed it in a small velvet lined box and left it on the counter while she put away the tray of rings. Hank took the box and put it into the inside pocket of his coat.
"That'll be sixty dollars, please, Sir."
Hank handed over the money, straining to keep a poker face as he thought the cost of that tiny little ring was the equivalent of two good horses. Still, if Myra said yes it would be worth every cent.
He left the store now and headed for Zack's school where he spent the lunch break with his son. Zack remembered Myra as the girl who had called to see him every month when he lived at Ruby's cabin. She had always been sweet to him and he said he'd be happy if Hank married her.
Eventually Hank returned to the railway station again and caught the mid-afternoon train to St Louis. The day and a half long journey passed very slowly and at last he reached the city early on Friday morning. He went straight to Mrs Claybourne's guest house and took a room for a week, telling her he would let her know if he wanted it any longer after the weekend. He then took a bath and put on some fresh clothes, then wandered around the streets of St Louis until the pocket watch Myra had bought him told him she would be finishing work in a few minutes.
Myra came out at five minutes past one and found Hank leaning against the wall a few feet away from the door. She didn't see him immediately, until she began walking in his direction and then she stopped abruptly and stared at him in amazement. He just grinned, expecting perhaps a subtle greeting since they were in the street outside her place of work, but she suddenly ran the last few feet towards him and flung her arms about him.
"Hank, what are you doing here?" she cried.
He grinned down at her, hugging her tightly to him. "Another change of plan. Thought I'd surprise ya rather than send yet another message. Ya did get the other one?"
"Yes, and the letter came yesterday. I thought you wouldn't be here for weeks yet."
"It all changed. I'll tell ya later." Hank smirked now as he spotted a young man and an older lady peering out of the bank window. "Yer colleagues are lookin'."
"Let them." Myra stood on tiptoe to give him a light kiss. "I have to pick up Samantha, will you come with me?"
"Sure."
She slid her hand through his arm and they walked to the house of the lady who now watched Samantha, collected the little girl and then headed for the park. Despite still only being the first week in February, the weather was unseasonably warm.
"So what happened with Preston?" Myra asked now. "You said he bought Jake's share of your hotel?"
"He sold it back to me," Hank said with a grin. "He's bankrupt. The Chateau's for sale too and half the folks in town are ready to lynch him. Hasn't the stock market affected your bank?"
"It has, but not too badly. Two of the younger staff lost their jobs, but we're still afloat. The manager only invested a portion of the funds in stocks, so we're better off than most. At least so far. What about you? Did you lose anything?"
"Are ya kiddin'?" snorted Hank. "Ya think I'd give my money to Preston? Except for the cash I gave him for half the Nugget, obviously. My money's in the tin under the bed where it's always been."
Myra giggled. "I might have guessed. What about everyone else?"
"I didn't hang around long enough to find out. Michaela and Sully are alright, they don't bank with Preston either. Loren banks in Denver."
Myra nodded. "What's everyone else been doing?"
"Michaela got shot," Hank began. "Jake got married..."
"Oh, my goodness!" exclaimed Myra. "Let's sit down, I want to hear all about it. Is Dr Mike alright?"
They took a seat at a picnic table, Myra holding Samantha on her lap as Hank filled her in on all the excitement, missing out the part where he took Michaela to Andrew's clinic. Almost an hour had passed by the time they had caught up on all the news.
"I'm so glad you're here," Myra said then. "I missed you." She reached across the table now slid her hand into his.
"Missed you too," Hank smiled. He slid his free hand into his coat pocket, took the ring box out beneath the table and flipped it open with his thumb. His heart began to hammer frantically and he wondered what he should say. Beat around the bush with some long-winded proposal or just blurt it out? Beating around the bush wasn't his style.
"Hank?" He looked back at Myra as she eyed him curiously.
"Somethin' I wanna ask ya," he said quickly, raising his hand to show her the ring. "Will ya be my wife?"
Myra's eyes widened, flicking from his face to the ring and back again. Her mouth opened and for a moment nothing came out of it.
"Guess ya never imagined me askin' anybody that," added Hank.
Myra smiled now. "I didn't, but after Christmas, I hoped."
"That a yes, then?" Hank prompted with a grin, relaxing slightly.
"Yes, it's a yes." Myra leaned forward above Samantha's head and brushed her lips against his. "I love you."
"Love you too." Her left hand was still in his and he took the ring out of its box now and slipped it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, the stones small and delicate, just right for her little hands.
"It's beautiful," she said softly. "Are they rubies? I've seen them in stores and thought they're so pretty, so much warmer than diamonds."
Hank grinned. "That's what I thought. Woman in the store thought I was mad, not gettin' a diamond for ya that woulda been bigger than yer hand."
"What does she know? I love it, Hank."
"So, d'ya wanna get married here or in Colorado Springs?" he asked then. "I know yer friends are there, but I thought ya might prefer here. Thought ya wouldn't wanna rub Horace's nose in it."
"Oh dear, I'd forgotten about him," Myra said anxiously. "Anyway, what's made you so considerate all of a sudden?"
"Yer turnin' me soft," Hank smirked. "Believe it or not, me and Horace kinda called a truce. After I got back after Christmas he said he wants ya to be happy. Only thing he's worried about is not seein' Samantha."
"That's good of him," Myra said. "I thought it was odd that he sent that telegram for you."
They continued to talk about possible plans and eventually Hank agreed to accompany Myra to church on Sunday so they could speak to the Reverend after the service about arranging their wedding. Myra invited Hank to her sister's house for supper on Saturday so they could discuss their plans with Suzannah and her husband.
"Will ya wanna come back to Colorado Springs after?" Hank asked then.
"Of course," Myra said. "We'll be living there, won't we?"
"What about yer job?"
"It's not completely certain that I'll keep it," Myra said. "I know I said our bank seems not to be in trouble, but if the situation gets worse there's a chance I'll be asked to leave. Anyway, I wouldn't expect you to leave, you just got sole ownership of the hotel."
"Ya won't be worried about the gossip?" grinned Hank. "They'll have a field day over this."
"Do you really think I care?" smiled Myra. "After everything that's happened to me so far, I don't suppose it can be any worse than it already has been."
"Well, I was kinda hopin' ya'd wanna stay here so I can escape 'em," teased Hank. "What d'ya think they're gonna say about me gettin' married?"
"You mean they don't know?"
"Horace has an idea, but he took an oath."
Myra giggled. "I can't wait to see the look on Loren's face, then. I hope the shock doesn't kill him. As for my job, I can get another."
"You can always work in the hotel if ya want," Hank suggested.
"No, I'm not going to work for you, Hank," Myra said at once.
"I didn't mean that exactly, I mean ya could be a sorta partner."
"No. Thank you, but no. I'll find my own job when I get there."
"That's fine," agreed Hank. "Just so long as ya know the offer's there if yer stuck."
Myra nodded and then her face suddenly split in a wide smile. "I can't believe we're getting married," she said. "You and me, after all this time."
"Yeah, just a shame I didn't find my common sense years ago, you'd've been Myra Lawson already, 'stead of Bing."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Myra teased. "I might have said no."
"No, ya wouldn't," grinned Hank.
"No, you're right, I probably wouldn't," she smiled. "Have you told Zack?"
"Yeah, saw him on the way here. He's glad; he remembered ya goin' to see him when ya took Ruby her money."
They continued chatting and teasing each other for some time in the park, before the air began to grow cooler and Myra decided she should get Samantha home before they caught a chill. They parted reluctantly at the edge of the park, promising to meet for lunch at the Juniper Cafe the next day, spend the afternoon together and then go for supper with Myra's sister. Hank returned to the guest house, a grin on his face which refused to be suppressed for the rest of the day.