Ask No Tomorrows (26 page)

An hour later,
as she knocked on the familiar door, she almost shook she was so
afraid of what she was about to do. Would everyone think her
crazy?

Nannette
answered, eyeing her up and down. “Riley?” she finally asked, her
voice unbelieving.

Riley barely
noticed that Nanette’s peach colored gown was completely
see-through. Riley had learned quickly to look beyond the physical.
It hadn’t taken her long to get used to the way they dressed and
not react to it. But it did make her want to cover herself more, as
though they too could see her.

“
Yes…it’s me,” Riley replied.

“
Well, what are you doing back here?” Nannette asked, looking
about and closing her arms over herself. “And where’s
Sam?”

“
Sam’s gone. Can I come in?”

Nanette
shrugged. “I guess so.”

Riley noted
that the lack of Sam being with her sent the light right out of
Nannette’s eyes.

Some of the
girls recognized her that passed in the hallway. Then Miss Tilda
spotted her.

“
Riley Morgan, what in heaven’s name are you doing
here?”

Riley fidgeted
for a moment, and then she squared her shoulders and looked Miss
Tilda in the eye. “I got a proposition for you, Miss
Tilda.”

“
Do
tell, sounds mysterious. Okay, come along to the veranda and we’ll
discuss it.” The older woman smiled, taking her arm. “It’s good to
see you. How are you and that handsome man of yours?”

Riley bowed
up. “He isn’t my man.”

“
No?”

“
No.”

“
But I thought you loved him.”

“
I
do, but he don’t. End of story,” Riley insisted as they found a
couple of rockers on the porch and sat down. The night was full of
crickets chirping, and somewhere off in the distance someone was
playing a fiddle. There was a gentle breeze and it made it more
comfortable as Riley sank into the rocker and glanced at Miss
Tilda.

“
That’s too bad. Did you get your ranch and money back?” Miss
Tilda asked.

“
Yes ma’am, I did.” Riley nodded. “All of it.”

“
I’m so glad.”

“
But…I’ve had another idea and I wanted to approach you with
it,” Riley began.

“
Oh…”

“
It’s gonna sound a little crazy to ya. I’m sure. I was gonna
sell the ranch, but for some reason I changed my mind as I was
headed back. I got another idea.” She smiled at Miss Tilda. “It’s
pretty crazy.”

Miss Tilda
smiled back. “Why am I not surprised. Well, go ahead and spill it.
I’m in a listening mood.”

Riley rocked
for a moment then turned all her attention to the older woman. “Let
me ask you something first. Do you like it here?”

“
Here?” The older woman shrugged. “I don’t know. Never thought
about how much I liked or didn’t like it. Places like this, we
can’t be too choosey. We try to make it as pleasant as we can but
the neighborhood is what it is. Why?”

“‘
Cause during my travels, I heard a few conversations about
bordellos. I had stayed at the hotel and had eaten out of course
and during the time I had heard a lot of conversations that
probably weren’t supposed to be heard. Actually, while I was
waitin’ in the lawyer’s office. How they were thinking on
redistricting the area, which meant you’d be moved to the other
side of town which is more unsavory.”

Miss Tilda
stared. “I’ve heard that rumor too. And I have to admit I’m not
wild about that part of the town myself. Our…work, if you will, has
its ups and downs and being moved ever so often happens as the big
whigs of this part of town try to change things.”

“
I’ve got an idea that could solve all your problems.” Riley
smiled.

“
Of
course you do, so don’t hesitate to tell me. What is it?” Miss
Tilda bellowed.

“
You could come and run your business from my ranch.” Riley
sighed as though she’d solved the world’s biggest
problem.

“
Your ranch?” Miss Tilda frowned then stared unbelievingly at
her.

“
But honey, that’s your home. You don’t want a bunch of rangy
men and women hanging out there, do ya?”

“
I’ve thought about it for several days and it would be
perfect. It’s private and no law for miles about. We could get word
to ranchers and locals. Even put an ad in the paper if you wanted
to.”

Miss Tilda
stared wide-eyed at her for a second. “You’re plum serious, aren’t
you?”

“
Yes ma’am, I am.”

“
But darlin’, we’re whores and you’re not.”

Riley sighed
heavily and leaned back in the rocker. “That’s true. But I know for
a fact I get mighty lonely out there with no females within a
hundred miles to talk to. No one to help with the chores; and it’s
a big house, got seven bedrooms, three wash-up rooms, big kitchen
and a fancy parlor. Oh I know it isn’t all reds and golds, but we
could fix it up in no time. What do you think?”

“
No
law for miles?” Miss Tilda shot her a glance and smile.

“
At
least a hundred miles. And I know all the ranchers…”

“
And their wives?” Miss Tilda finished for her.

“
Yeah, but most of them are older and got more sons than
anything, and not all of them are married.”

Miss Tilda
pulled herself up and stared hard once more. “Why? I gotta ask you
that, ‘cause frankly I don’t understand what you’d get out of
it.”

“
I’m lonely without Sam…and I so want to learn how to be a real
lady. I don’t have any idea where to start.”

“
Aw…honey, I’m so sorry for being insensitive to you about Sam.
Sure you miss him, but someone will come along
eventually.”

“
Well, this way, if they don’t, I’ll have plenty of company
around me.” She laughed.

“
Can we legally do it?” Miss Tilda asked after thinking on it a
minute.

“
I’ll find out, but I wanted to ask you about it before I go
storming the lawyer about the matter,” Riley explained.

“
I’m interested. I surely am. Go to the lawyer tomorrow and let
me know what he says. Where are you staying?”

Riley firmed
her lips. “I hate to admit it, but I haven’t got a place for the
night. Think you could rig me something out here on the porch or
something?”

“
I
can do better than that; I’ll give you a room.” Miss Tilda patted
her hand. “Come on, where’s your dog anyway?”

“
How’d you know I had one?”

“
It
was with Sam when he came.”

“
Oh…well, that was his dog, Nodog. My dog’s name is Friend.
He’s down at the livery stable for the night.”

“
Fine, you can go get him tomorrow.”

Riley looked
at her. “Looking like I do, I hate to go into a hotel and try to
keep up a charade.”

“
Well, at least you got the clothes and haircut. You can pull
it off a little longer with the lawyer.”

“
You won’t have to keep up a charade here.” Miss Tilda smiled.
“Come with me, we’ll fix you a room up and you can get some sleep.
Tomorrow, you go in and talk to that lawyer and then we’ll talk
about rent and charges. I really can’t believe you are wanting to
do this.”

“
I
spent the whole trip back thinking on it. They’ll be building towns
up before long out that way. And if you want to move into town
eventually then I’d understand, but who knows you might like the
country.” Riley sighed as Miss Tilda threw an arm around her and
guided her up the stairs.

Riley slept
well that night.

Chapter Seventeen

Sam sat in the
saddle all night, letting the night air cool his face while his
mind wandered back to Riley over and over. He wondered where the
hell he was going. He no longer had any ambition to go to
Arizona.

What had Riley
been thinking, that they could marry and have a home
together?

Even if it was
natural for a woman to think like that, she had to consider he was
black and others wouldn’t accept him as her husband. They’d likely
hang him. But then hanging might be worth it, to have Riley just
once.

Sure he loved
her, more than anything in his life, he loved her. But that’s why
he left, so she could make a life for herself. Didn’t she realize
it?

He glanced
down at the ground and missed Nodog once more. How could he go on,
losing everything he cared about in this world?

He hadn’t been
this lonesome in years. Tears fell down his cheek unchecked. And
for a short while he mourned losing Riley and Nodog.

He hadn’t let
himself fantasize about Riley before, but now he couldn’t stop
thinking about her. What would she do all alone? How would she
handle the storms? What if Harry was still at the ranch and hurt
her? That possibility had him stopping and camping for the night.
He should return, see this thing all the way through. Yet she
herself had run him off.

Nothing made
any sense. He missed her, wanted her, loved her, and he’d left her.
Was he crazy?

That night he
slept restlessly. Where would he go, what would he do? How would he
release this yoke around his heart?

Before he
realized where he was headed, he found himself back in the arms of
his sister Hattie, shaking hands with Lee, Chase and Katherine. He
went through the motions, but nothing seemed real any more. Nothing
shut out the feeling he had for Riley, and the thought that he
should be with her, helping her.

Burning Tree
sensed the sorrow within Sam. That’s when he called him to his
lodge.

Burning Tree
was the one man who would listen with an open heart and tell him
what needed to be done. As Sam entered the lodge, he took in the
old man with braids that had gone silver, the dark piercing eyes
that still looked young and vital as he stared into them. Though
Burning Tree was stooped to some extent, he had the heart of a
young warrior, and everyone in camp listened to him.

“
You have been through much, my son,” Burning Tree said as he
stared straight ahead and admitted him into his lodge.

“
Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“
You have seen love, temptation, and lust. Yet, you continually
picked love over the three. A wise choice. You have experienced
danger, evils, and crime. Yet, you remained strong. You have
suffered sorrows, loss and confusion. You have not yet found your
way out of the confusion. Your heart is heavy. You love this white
woman? This Riley.”

“
God, how did you know?” Sam was startled at his ability to see
so much.

“
I
had visions of your adventure with Riley. She is part of your
future unless you reject her. There is only one question to ask. Do
you love her with all your heart and mind?”

“
Very much…yes!” Sam answered. “I thought I could walk away
from her and not look back, but that isn’t so. I think about her
all the time. I worry for her. I feel I did not succeed in taking
care of her.”

“
Then what is there to decide, your heart has spoken to you,”
Burning Tree insisted.

“
My
heart yes, but my head tells me this won’t work. That black and
white cannot mix,” Sam explained.

“
Yet, you have a sister who married a white man and lives very
happily. Sometimes a man must walk with his heart, not his mind.
Your sister mixed. She is happy. Is she not?”

“
But…Hattie and Lee…are different. They were in love for years.
Riley, well, Riley and I haven’t known each other that
long.”

“
Time does not measure love. Nor does time make the love any
more powerful.”

“
No,” Sam admitted. “It sure don’t. Because when I think about
Riley I think of Hattie and Lee and how much they loved each other,
how much they were willing to sacrifice to be together. That’s how
I feel about Riley. I tried to fight it. Tried to hide it from her,
but she was always so honest with me.”

Burning Tree
frowned and nodded. “You are not the first to love so. You will not
be the last. Long ago, our chief took a young white captive, he
didn’t want to admit it then, but he was taken with her at first
glance. He took her into his own teepee. Although she was a
captive, he could not treat her as such. He called her White
Feather. He gave her an Indian name, for he was sure she would be
his,” Burning Tree was saying as he cooked himself a
meal.

“
He
was so in love with her, he took her to his lodge. He had no other
wife and after she came, he wanted no other. She resisted our ways
at first, and would have nothing to do with him. But he slowly won
her heart and respect and after a while he married her, I married
them. They were so in love. Deeply and truly in love. They lived
together here for years. They are still here. Many times she had
the means and ways to escape, but she did not. She did not even
try. When her husband asked why she did not escape, she told him
she loved him too much to leave him.