Millie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 7) Page 21

  “I don’t know what else to do to persuade her to give up this nonsense,” Gideon said.

  Several conversations broke out at once and Archie ended up banging a mug against the bar to restore order. “What can we do to make sure prohibition doesn’t make the ballot?” he asked.

  “Perhaps if we tried to appear more helpful to the women in town,” Gideon suggested. “Could we take up a collection for Miss Caldwell or start a fund for widows or something that shined a light on our benevolent endeavors?”

  “Brilliant idea, my boy,” Archie said, slapping the bar with the flat of his hand.

  “We could create a scholarship for a graduating high school student,” Drake suggested.

  “Yes!” Archie enthusiastically agreed. “What else?”

  “The women take great pride in the park. Might we donate a bench or tree or somethin’ as part of the ongoin’ beautification project?” O’Malley asked.

  “Indeed,” Archie said, looking around the room. “Let’s take a vote on what we’d like to do first then I’ll make sure the newspaper knows about it.”

  In the end, the men voted to contribute funds to help Miss Caldwell and donate a lilac bush to a newly planted section of the park in honor of all the women who had been attacked.

  Drake and Gideon left the meeting together, ambling down the street toward their businesses.

  “What do you think will happen, Gid?” Drake asked as they stood outside the Second Chance Saloon.

  “Honestly, I don’t know, Drake. But whatever it is, someone’s sure to come out on the losing end.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  As the calendar rolled closer to Election Day, Millie felt torn between doing what she felt was right and doing what would keep Gideon in business. The last thing she wanted was to force him to close his saloon, but either they all closed or none of them closed.

  She’d worked too hard and too long not to continue with her efforts. The members of her temperance committee began going out twice a week instead of just Tuesdays to drum up support and encourage men to leave behind the evils of alcohol.

  Almira Raines returned to the committee. Thankfully, she did not bring up attacking the saloons again.

  With the Anti-Saloon League targeting support of the businessmen in town, Millie was confident a vote for prohibition would bring about the desired result.

  Still, her heart felt heavy, concerned over what would happen to Gideon and Abel Jamieson.

  Gideon had other sources of income, like his ranch and the rental houses he owned. She’d also discovered he was a silent partner in a hardware store.

  From her standpoint, he didn’t need the saloon to continue to be successful. However, a reason existed for why he wanted to keep it. Some reason beyond her ability to comprehend.

  The few times she’d asked for an explanation, he’d instead questioned her about why she held such a strong conviction that all the saloons be run out of town.

  Unwilling to share the details, she let the matter drop.

  Despite their differences about the saloons, Gideon had been so thoroughly charming, she’d forgotten about her plans to break things off with him. To deprive herself of his tempting smile, the sound of his deep voice, the sight of sunlight skimming across that coppery head seemed unwise. Instead, she tossed reason and sense aside and basked in the affection he poured out on her.

  One evening, he’d taken her for a buggy ride and brought along a delicious picnic supper they enjoyed from a spot on a hill overlooking the valley.

  He’d escorted her to a play at the opera house, took her riding at his ranch, and gone with her to Nash’s Folly for little Emmalee’s first birthday party.

  Just that morning, Cully had arrived carrying a bouquet of fragrant flowers in a sparkling crystal vase.

  The boy could barely heft the vase onto the counter, but when he did, he wore a broad grin of excitement. He dug a note from his pocket and handed it to Millie. “Mr. McBride said to tell you he’ll see you for dinner.”

  Millie smiled and gave Cully a coin from her pocket before he disappeared out the door.

  “Those are gorgeous,” Lacy said. She removed her headset and walked over to the counter.

  The scent of the lilacs filled the office and Millie dipped her head, inhaling the fragrance. She opened the note from Gideon.

  To My Little Tootsie Wootsie,

  If your day is even half as lovely as you are, it will be one full of beautiful moments.

  I’ll stop by at five-thirty to escort you to dinner.

  Yours,

  Gideon

  Millie blushed and hurried to tuck the note in her pocket, but not before Lacy snatched it from her fingers.

  She handed it back with a grin. “Where’s he taking you for dinner?”

  “Caterina’s.” Millie put the note in her pocket and set the flowers on the end of the counter before returning to her seat at the switchboard.

  “You mean you can’t get that handsome man to make dinner for you?”

  Millie grinned as she settled the headset on her black head. “All I’d have to do is ask, but I don’t think it is in my best interest to be seen at the saloon.”

  “Probably not,” Lacy agreed.

  The morning passed in a flurry of calls. Evelyn Tooley called and begged Millie to send out a general call that the little terrier dog her husband recently brought her had run off.

  Millie assured the woman someone in town would most likely find it then sent out the general call.

  During the next hour people called to report sightings of the dog near the boardinghouse Marvin and Evelyn Tooley operated. Eventually, Evelyn phoned to say one of the neighbors brought the dog home.

  People called wanting to know if there were any new shows at the theaters in town, when tickets were going to be available for the upcoming performance at the opera house, and if the shoe store was still running a sale.

  “What on earth has gotten into people today?” Susan asked as she disconnected a call and looked at the other women. “They act like they’ve gotten into loco weed.”

  “They certainly do.” Lacy drank from a glass of lemonade. When she’d gone home for lunch, she returned with a pitcher of the refreshing liquid, full of ice from Tony Campanelli. As they sat through the afternoon of calls, they sipped the cool drink.

  Millie monitored two lines that had been monopolized for nearly an hour. Sweethearts kept eavesdroppers hanging on their every word on one line while two gossiping old biddies burned the ears of any who dared to listen to their conversation on the other.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, Millie decided it was time to chase them both off. Politely, she asked Mrs. Bradshaw to hang up. The woman huffed and slammed down the receiver.

  Millie winced, making Lacy laugh. Without watching what she was doing, Millie connected to the other line, or what she thought was the other line.

  Instead, she happened into the midst of a conversation between two members of the saloon owners association.

  “I know Gideon has done his best to turn Miss Millie’s head, but that just ain’t gonna be enough. We’re gonna have to do something more or this thing could get serious,” said a man with a gravelly voice.

  “I know it, but I don’t know what else to do. Gideon’s efforts to keep the temperance tempest occupied were our best bet at beating this prohibition nonsense. Even though she seems quite smitten with him, it hasn’t been enough to get her to drop the WCTU,” a second man replied. “Short of him proposing to her, I don’t think there’s anything else that can be done.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it past ol’ Gid to give it a try. He’s done a right smart job of convincing that little gal she’s won his heart.”

  Both men laughed as Millie yanked out the line, cutting off their call. Quietly, she removed her headset and set it down on the switchboard.

  Anger bubbled in her chest with such brutal force she thought she might choke on it. Temporarily, her vision blurred while
perspiration trickled down her neck. She sucked in a ragged breath then another, breathing in air scented from the vase of lilacs on the counter. Thoughts of who had sent the flowers and why made her so livid, her hands clenched into fists.

  “Millie?” Lacy asked, concerned as the color suddenly drained from her face. “Are you well?”

  “No. No, I’m not. I do believe I need a bit of air. Do you think you could get rid of the lilacs, please?” Millie stood on shaky knees, took a faltering step, and caught herself on her desk. While Lacy set the flowers outside, Millie lifted the hat she’d tossed on the desk earlier and pinned it on then tugged on a pair of white gloves.

  “Millie? Sit down. I’ll get you a cool glass of water.” Lacy started to run upstairs, but Millie ignored her offer for assistance and somehow managed to walk around the counter and out the door.

  Worried for her friend, Lacy ran after her, but Millie turned a deaf ear to the woman’s pleas to return and walked down the street.

  With each step, indignation steadied her legs while fury straightened her spine. It wasn’t until she walked around a corner and saw Gideon standing in a wagon in front of his saloon that she realized where her feet had carried her.

  He laughed as he helped a freighter unload barrels of whiskey from the back of the wagon. They set them on the sidewalk in front of the Second Chance Saloon.

  Although she didn’t make an intentional thought to do it, Millie swerved into the yard of a house and lifted an axe from a stump before she continued down the street.

  As he worked to move a heavy barrel, Gideon didn’t notice her approach. In fact, his eyes registered shocked surprise when she hefted the axe and swung it into the nearest barrel.

  Transfixed, she watched whiskey pool around her feet and run into the street. She yanked the axe from the splintered barrel and swung it at another, burying it into the wood. Whiskey spewed out of it and Millie stepped back, watching sunlight refract through the amber drops.

  “Millie! What in the world are you doing?” Gideon grabbed her hands before she could do more damage.

  Enraged beyond words, she reached up and slapped him so hard she heard his neck pop. Infuriated by the very sight of him, she turned on her heel and ran back up the street.

  Stunned by her behavior, Gideon rubbed his cheek and stared after her.

  “I take it that little gal isn’t happy with you,” the freighter observed as he continued unloading the whiskey.

  Gideon looked up as Lars Thorsen jogged toward him.

  “Lacy called and asked if I’d seen Millie. She said she seemed upset.” Lars took in the broken barrels and axe then gave Gideon a questioning glance. “What happened here?”

  “Millie,” Gideon growled.

  Lars whistled in disbelief. “She didn’t do that, did she?”

  “She did,” Gideon said, dropping his hands to his sides. He wondered what or who had riled Millie to the point of losing her hold on sanity.

  “Did she say why?” Lars asked, noticing the handprint on Gideon’s face.

  “She never uttered a word.”

  Lars studied him a moment and released a sigh. “Do you want to go find her? Do you want me to find her and bring her back?”

  Gideon shook his head. “It is probably best to give Millie time to get a better grip on her temper before I speak with her.”

  “Do you want me to arrest her? Those barrels of whiskey aren’t cheap.”

  “No, they aren’t,” Gideon agreed. Lars was a personal friend of Millie’s, but the man would uphold the law. Although he had no intention of causing any trouble for Millie, he was just mad enough to scare her a little. “Say, Lars, I’m not pressing charges, but would you mind putting a little fear of the law in her.”

  Lars grinned. “I could probably do that. I’ll see if I can find out what provoked her. If I do, I’ll let you know.”

  Gideon reached out a hand and shook the one Lars extended to him. “I appreciate it.”

  By the time Lars hustled to the telephone office, Millie had locked herself in her apartment and refused to open it to anyone, even Lacy.

  Lars pounded on her door and used his most intimidating tone when he spoke. “Millie, open this door! Gideon has every right to press charges for what you did. I could arrest you for damaging his property, not to mention striking him.”

  “What did she do?” Lacy stared at Lars as they both stood at the top of the stairs, banging on the locked portal.

  “She took an axe to two barrels of whiskey then slapped Gideon so hard, you can see her whole handprint on his face.”

  “I don’t understand what happened,” Lacy said, walking with Lars down the stairs when Millie continued to ignore their requests to open the door. “Gideon sent her the prettiest vase of flowers this morning. She was so excited about eating dinner with him tonight at Caterina’s. About an hour ago, she plugged into a line to chase someone off a call. All of the sudden, she got this strange look on her face and stormed out of here. That’s when I called you.”

  “I don’t know what she heard, but whatever it was sure stirred her temper. I really could arrest her. Those barrels of whiskey are worth a pretty penny, especially the quality Gideon buys.”

  The phone lines all rang at once and Lacy hurried to grab her headset while Lars left.

  An hour later, he called the switchboard. “Lacy, you’ve got to get Millie to come to the jail. Right now.”

  “Lars? I can hardly hear you,” she said, straining to hear over all the noise in the background.

  “That’s because of the crazy women we’ve just arrested. Kade said to tell Millie to put some hustle in her bustle and get over here or he’ll personally escort her in handcuffs.”

  “Oh, gracious!” Lacy disconnected the call and took the steps up to Millie’s apartment two at a time. She pounded on the door with the flat of her hand. “Millie, open the door this minute. Lars called and it sounds like they’ve arrested your entire temperance committee. He and Kade need you to come to the…” The door whipped open and Millie glared at her. “Jail.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, but Kade is threatening to arrest you if you don’t go right away.” Lacy followed Millie down the steps. “If you wait a moment, I can get Grant to go with you.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Millie sailed out the door.

  Lacy gave Susan and Fae a worried look then ran over to the bank and asked Grant to go with her to the county jail.

  Upon their arrival at the sheriff’s office, raised voices carried out the door. Millie shook a finger in Kade’s face, demanding the immediate release of the cells full of screaming women. Lars blockaded Millie’s path to the cells, keeping her from reaching the members of the temperance committee.

  “What’s going on here?” Grant asked as Lacy grabbed Millie’s hand and held it in her own.

  Relieved to see reinforcements, Kade leaned against his desk. “My understanding of the matter is this: Millie appropriated an axe from Mrs. Ragsdale’s yard then proceeded to use it to demolish two barrels of whiskey in front of Gideon McBride’s saloon before slapping him quite soundly across the face. A freighter helping Gideon unload the whiskey was witness to her criminal actions. Since news travels faster around here than a jackrabbit running from a half-starved coyote, it took only minutes for the WCTU to hear their fearless leader had struck a blow to the enemy. The women took up their weapons and descended like locusts on the saloons.”

  Millie glared at Kade but held her tongue.

  “If you don’t believe me, I have several witnesses who watched the women storm into three saloons with hatchets, axes, clubs, and crowbars,” Kade glowered at Millie. “Archie Cook sustained a black eye and Drake Dillinger was taken to the hospital.”

  Millie’s hand fluttered to her throat and she swallowed hard. “Is Drake okay?” She’d found him kind and charming the occasions she’d spoken with him. She knew he was a close friend of Gideon’s and hated the thought of
something happening to him.

  “I don’t know. Doc Reed said he’d let me know when he finished examining him.” Kade sighed and forked a hand through his hair. “If the saloon owners decide to press charges, those women could be in big trouble, Millie. So could you. You’re the one who started this whole mess by whacking Gideon’s barrels as well as his face. What put a bee in your bonnet? I thought you liked Gideon.”

  Millie fiddled with the brooch pinned to the lace collar of her shirtwaist. “Unintentionally, I overheard a conversation between two of the saloon owners today and the information they shared was both shocking and eye-opening.”

  “What in tarnation are you talking about?” Kade turned to Lars, but the other deputy only shrugged. He looked to Lacy for an explanation.

  Lacy glanced at Millie then back at Kade. “Millie was concerned about two of the lines being monopolized this afternoon. She chased off Mrs. Bradshaw, you know how she loves to gossip, then she was going to ask Peter Downing to hang up with his sweetheart, but I think she plugged into the wrong line. I could tell as soon as she disconnected that something was terribly amiss.”

  “But you didn’t tell her what?” Kade asked Millie.

  “No, sir, I did not.”

  “Well, why in the heck not?” Kade straightened, running out of patience.

  “Tell us what happened, Millie,” Lars said, offering her an encouraging smile. The screeching women in the back were giving him a headache and if his wife, not to mention his sisters, got wind he’d locked up two dozen of their friends, there’d be no end to the suffering he’d endure.

  “The conversation between two saloon owners hinted that a third saloon owner had entered into an agreement with members of the saloon alliance to work his wiles on an unsuspecting party in hopes of turning her attention away from her efforts to bring prohibition to town by pretending to care about her. Much to my dismay and embarrassment, his feigned affections may not have completely fulfilled their intended purpose, but they thoroughly destroyed my heart.”