Page 51 of Texas Glory
Tightening her hold on the reins, Cordelia stared as Leighton came into view. Half a dozen wooden buildings checkered the wide dusty street. On the outskirts of town, it looked as though people had haphazardly thrown up tents.
Workers were hammering on the frame of a building. The scent of sawdust filled the air. She had never seen anything like it.
The day Dallas had announced that he was setting aside the land for a town, she had seen nothing but open prairie. She hadn’t returned since.
She had known the town had acquired a dressmaker and a general store. She hadn’t known about the saloon or the bank or the jail.
“What are they building?” she asked Austin as he led their horses down the center of town.
“A livery and a blacksmith shop.”
“It really is going to be a town,” she said in awe. “Boyd had said it would never happen. That Dallas was a fool.”
“Boyd’s the fool,” Austin said. “I’ve never seen Dallas fail at anything.”
Austin brought their horses to a stop in front of a false-fronted building that proclaimed OLIVER’S GENERAL STORE. He dismounted, tethered both horses, then reached up and helped Cordelia dismount.
A whole town to walk through. Well, not quite a whole town, but it would be someday, and her husband was responsible. An empire builder.
Perhaps he was more. A builder of dreams.
How did one even go about knowing where to begin?
Austin opened the door that led into the general store. As soon as he entered the building, he swept his hat from his head and an easy smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Becky Oliver stood on a ladder, placing canned goods on a shelf. She glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes growing warm.
Cordelia thought she might have discovered Austin’s interest in coming to town every day.
“What can I do you for?” asked a balding man standing behind the counter.
Cordelia remembered being introduced to Perry Oliver at her wedding.
Becky rolled her eyes and climbed down from the ladder. “Oh, Pa, you got the words all mixed up again.”
He winked at Cordelia. “Young’uns. They ain’t never happy with what their parents do.” He looked at Austin. “Well, young man, what brings you into town today?”
“Dee needs something so I just brought her into town.”
Cordelia fought to keep the surprise off her face. She didn’t need anything, but Austin gave her an imploring look that begged her to play along. How could she resist the plea in those blue eyes?
“What do you need then, Mrs. Leigh?” Mr. Oliver asked.
Mrs. Leigh? She thought she’d never get used to that name. “I. uh … books … I need some books.”
Mr. Oliver’s eyes widened. “You already read those books your husband came in and purchased last week?”
Cordelia glanced at Austin. He simply shrugged. She had no idea what books her husband had bought. No doubt more on husbandry. “No, he didn’t share them with me,” she finally confessed.
Mr Oliver rubbed his palm over his shining bald pate. “That’s odd. He said they were for you. Said you liked to read.” He squinted his pale blue eyes and puckered his lips. “Let’s see. I hadA Tale of Two CitiesandSilas Marner.He bought them both.”
Words failed her. If Dallas had purchased the books for her, wouldn’t he have told her? If he hadn’t purchased them for her, why had he told Mr. Oliver that he had?
“They were all I had in stock,” Mr. Oliver continued. “He told me when I got more books in, I was to set them aside until he’d had a chance to look at them.”
The bell above the door tinkled as a young boy walked hesitantly into the store. His black hair was in dire need of a cut and his face a good scrubbing. His bare feet shuffled over the wooden floor as he neared the counter and dug his hand into the pocket of his coveralls. One strap trailed down his backside since he had no button on the front of the coveralls to hold it in place. It looked as though the button on the other side wasn’t going to stay with him much longer.
Perry Oliver leaned over the counter. “Well, Mr. Rawley Cooper. What can I do you for today?”
