Page 73 of Texas Glory
Cordelia felt Amelia slip her hand around hers and squeeze gently. Houston stood behind Amelia. Maggie wrapped herself around Cordelia’s legs. Austin moved in beside Cordelia and put his arm around her shoulder.
Cameron and Duncan stood off to the side. With a mixture of sadness for the family she seemed to have lost and resounding happiness for the family she had gained, she turned her attention to her husband.
He swept his hat from his head and a hush descended over the gathering. Pride rang through her heart at the sight of the man she had married standing so tall, so bold before the crowd.
She wanted the women who came to Leighton to have a choice. As for herself, she was no longer certain if she would have chosen differently if she had been given a choice.
“A little over a month ago,” Dallas began, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating around him, “I had the pleasure of sharing with you—our friends and neighbors—my joy as Dee became my wife. Today, we want to share with you the beginning of what will be a landmark building in Leighton. Dee’s vision for her hotel will set the standard by which all future buildings in Leighton will be judged.” He held his hand toward her. “Dee, the dream is yours. The land is yours to break.”
Cordelia’s breath caught, her heart pounded, and her knees shook. Surely he didn’t mean for her to join him in front of all these people. She stepped back and rammed into Houston’s hard body.
“Go on, Dee,” Houston urged her quietly, gently.
Austin squeezed her shoulder and smiled broadly. “If you can walk into the bank and ask for a loan, you can walk into your own hotel.”
Her own hotel.
She looked at Amelia, whose eyes were filling with tears. “I told you,” she whispered, “that given the chance, he’d worship the ground you walked on.”
Cordelia snapped her gaze back to her husband. His hand was outstretched as he waited for her. She clutched Precious more closely, took a deep breath, and stepped over the rope.
The crowd clapped and cheered, Dallas’s smile grew, and her shaking increased. She walked across the plot as quickly as she could and slipped her hand into her husband’s, surprised to find his trembling as well.
Mr. Curtiss held the shovel toward her. “You’ll need this,” he said, grinning brightly.
“Give me the damn prairie dog,” Dallas grumbled past his smile as he released her hand.
She handed Precious off to him and took the shovel. Mr. Curtiss helped her to position it. She tightened her hold on the handle, pressed her foot on the shovel as he instructed, and flipped aside a small portion of dirt.
She glanced at Dallas. “How big should I make the hole?”
Shaking his head, he took the shovel and handed it to Mr. Curtiss. “That’s all you need to do.” He crooked his elbow. She placed her hand on his arm, and he led her toward the waiting crowd.
She clung to Dallas’s arm as people surrounded her, asking her questions.
“I won’t leave you,” Dallas whispered near her ear.
She relaxed her fingers. No, he wouldn’t leave her. Had she ever noticed how often he was there when she needed him?
“How many rooms will the hotel have?” someone asked.
Cordelia smiled. “Fifty.”
“I hear it’s gonna have a restaurant.”
“A very nice restaurant,” Cordelia assured them. “The finest food in town.”
“Speaking of fine food,” Dallas interjected, “we’ve got beef cooking near the saloon. You’re all invited to enjoy it.”
As people wandered away, Cordelia turned her attention to Dallas. “Why didn’t you tell me I was going to have to dig a hole in front of all these people?”
“Figured it would just make you nervous, and you might decide not to come. I didn’t want you to miss your moment.”
Her moment.
“Mrs. Leigh?”
She turned. A young man stood before her, holding a pad of paper. “Mrs. Leigh, I’m a reporter with the Fort WorthDaily Democrat.Since the same railroad that touches our town will eventually touch yours, I was hoping you could spare a few minutes to answer a few questions about your hotel.”
