Way Out West Read Online Free PDF Page B

Becky assured both of them. “See you tonight, big guy?”
     “Count on it,” he
answered with a glint in his eye.
    * * *
     “Well, young lady, I
don’t know what you did to turn that man’s head, but my hat’s off to you.”
     Becky swished into the
green room crowded with rows of dresses hanging from wooden racks. One wall
supported three large mirrors set into an alcove for multiple views.
     Callie, still clinging
to her parcel, gaped at the beautiful dresses of satins and sequins and
feathers. “I don’t know what you mean. I just rode in with him.”
     “Come on, girl, you can’t
be that naive. I could name a dozen women who’ve tried and failed to sink their
teeth into Rand. The man’s skin is as thick as a buffalo’s and you’ve somehow
managed to get under it.”
     “I’ve been known to do
that to people,” Callie quipped. Especially when she didn’t meet their
expectations.
     Becky laughed heartily.
“Come on over here and let’s find you something that’ll really get his head
spinning.”
     “You mean,” Callie
hedged, “there’s nothing between you?”
     “Me and Rand? No! Not
that I wouldn’t have welcomed the idea at one time. No, me and Rand are just good
friends. He’s a steady customer, and a darned good tipper.”
     Turning her attention
to the racks, Becky began pulling off dresses in a rainbow of colors. Callie
noted that the shelves underneath were lined with an array of matching shoes,
and the shelves above spilled over with feathered and satin headbands.
     It was like a great big
game of dress-up. “Did they really dress like this in the old saloons?”
     “In some. We glamorize
a bit to satisfy the guests’ preconceptions, but in the more affluent mining towns
of the period, women often imported such fancy dresses from Paris. What you see
here is the best of the West.” Turning to Callie with a triumphant smile and an
armload of dresses, Becky ordered, “Now, get that filthy dress off and try on
some of these. You’re gonna have a fine coming out tonight.”
    * * *
     After choosing several
outfits for the next few days, Becky showed Callie to her simple room. Light
blue curtains and spread offset the dark wood bed, nightstand, chair and
dresser. Hanging her dresses on the hook behind the door, she patiently
listened to Becky’s rules and regulations. No smoking, drinking or cussing. Be
nice to the customers, and earn your tips.”
     “But I thought that’s
what went on in saloons, a lot of smoking, drinking and cussing.”
     Becky aimed a stern
look at Callie who sensed she’d just broken some sacred rule. “The customers
may do those things but not my girls. They are to act respectable at all times.
I run a clean and classy establishment.”
     Callie smoothed back
her hair and looked uneasily down at her feet. Her boots weren’t anywhere near
as uncomfortable as Becky’s implied warning.
    “Now, go down to the
kitchen for a kettle of hot water to get cleaned up. You can send it up on the
dumb waiter. Your wash basin’s over there with fresh towels. If you need
anything laundered, put it in the laundry chute out in the hallway. You have
about two hours to freshen up and grab a bite to eat.”
     “Then what do I do?”
Callie asked apprehensively.
     “Nothing. Tonight you
just sit by the bar and look pretty. I want you to observe the other girls and
the customers. Get a feel for what’s going on. Got it?”
     “I guess. Will you be
there?”
     “Oh, I’m always around,
somewhere. Now, you go on and do what you have to do. If you have any extra
time, practice your western accent and for heaven’s sake, read your manual. I
don’t have time for private tutoring.”
     Her point made clear,
Becky swished out of the room, leaving only her lilac scent. Alone for the
first time, Callie sighed and could only wonder what the next month would be
like in a place she never would have dreamed of visiting. Cowboys, horses,
uncomfortable clothes.