Flower of My Heart
1894
After fifteen minutes had passed, Lilly returned from the dressmakers wearing a different dress than when she had left. It was a green frock with small yellow flowers trimming the collar.
"She couldn't repair the damage right away so she gave me this to wear," Lilly said. 'Do you like it?"
Caine scrutinized the dress. He did like it. The color helped to enhance her features and for the first time, he noticed the rich hazel of her eyes. Green flecks could be seen in their depths. "Uh, yes," Caine said, his voice doing down to a quiet whisper. Shyness overcame him as well as a strange feeling of warmth that he had not felt in many years. "I have some of the supplies, but I need to get the wood from the sawmill. Will you be all right until I return?"
"I should be. I'm going to need to check out the dressing room. After you get the wood, could you swing by with the wagon and pick me up? I'm going to need to go by the house and get a few things before the show. More music, a couple of other dresses to change into, that sort of thing."
Caine bowed to Lilly and backed up to the door, only he did not find the swinging gates as he had hoped. Instead, he bumped into the doorframe. Feeling a little foolish, he turned and left.
"I tell you Miss Lilly, I think that man is sweet on you."
"Do you think so Mr. Peabody?"
"You can call me Jasper, and yes."
A worried look came over Lilly as she remembered what Carson had said to her when he tried to remove her from the stage.
"I don't know. Not everyone would be pleased if . . . "
"Don't you pay them any mind. If you want to know, my wife was Chinese and a lovely lady she was. She was taken from me five years ago. A gang of ruffians thought she was one of the local ladies, you know the type, the ones that entertain gentleman callers. I tried to stop them but two of them pulled a gun on me and the other three took her like she was some kind of whore. I tried to give her as much love and comfort from the ordeal as I could. Broke my heart when I found she'd hung herself later that night. She couldn't live with the shame. We were living in Lordsville then. Lordsville is a bad place if you ask me. I left soon after that. Took what money I had made from the gold fields that I had saved, sold my saloon, and came here. I guess this town ain't much better, but it's better than most. I never married again. Take my advice. Don't listen to folks. Just follow your own heart. There's something about that Caine that's very special. You won't find another one like him."
****
Carson continued to watch the pair when Caine returned from the sawmill. He watched them leave town until they were out of sight.
"You think you can escape me, you've got another thing comin' girl. And no Chinaman is going to keep you from me. Mr. Crabtree will be real pleased to see you."
End of part 6
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2000.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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