Page 6 of A Chance for Candace

Chapter 3

It didn’t take Candace long to gather up the few possessions she owned. A small trunk had been sent to the train station ahead of time with a young man she had paid well to take care of the task. She picked up a carpet bag in one hand and in the other she secured her reticule snugly to her wrist. She took one last look and closed the door.

This was a part of her life that she was glad to move on from even if she was nervous and scared to do this alone. Even if she had been alone most of her life.

Looking both ways, Candace crossed the street and made her way to the train station, a few short blocks away. She had been determined to go on as usual after the invasion of her apartment even though it had been difficult. She had called the police that day and they had investigated, finding a young teen in the area who had admitted to breaking into her home. He was arrested and reprimanded, and even stopped by with a police officer to apologize. Except she had a strange feeling there was more to the young teenager’s story than he was admitting to. Did someone hire him to look for the receipt pouch?

Either way, she was not buying his story. Being alone, she had to take care of herself. There was no one here who would look out for her. So she had to make decisions for her own safety.

That was why she went to see Mr. McVey at the insurance company this morning. She had noticed an article about Last Chance, Nebraska and how it was starting to thrive again after a terrible drought had driven many businesses away. According to the prior owner, he had left when things got bad there and was no longer in need of the property he owned.

Mr. McVey had sold her the storefront and apartment even though she was a woman. She had been surprised it had been so easy. Usually men who do business want to put the deed in the husband’s name, but she didn’t have one of those and he had never asked. Come to think of it, he hadn’t questioned anything. He was happy to sell it to her even though she had offered him a lower price than he had stated in the newspaper.

None of that mattered now. She had the bill of sale in her reticule, sewed into the lining for safe keeping.

Candace had learned a lot from her mentor. Not just how to make the most delicious chocolates in all of Chicago, but she had watched him run a successful business and made a mental note of all the things he did. Theodore Kinney had been quite the entreprenuer and she planned to follow in his footsteps and make him proud!

As she walked past the insurance brokerage, she was surprised to find a For Rent sign on the property where the tin sign had been posted just a few hours earlier. It hadn’t been there earlier when she had gone to see Mr. McVey, she was certain she’d have noticed. Oh well, she was going to be gone from this city in exactly an hour and she wasn’t about to add one more worry to her brain about anyone or anything. Last Chance, Nebraska was indeed a new start for her. She had earnings put away that she had taken out of the bank this morning. The train station was just ahead. As she took one last look around, she stepped through the door of the train depot to purchase a ticket

Goodbye, Chicago. Last Chance, here I come!

*****

Candace was exhausted. Not only that, the train only took her to Lincoln, Nebraska where she had to pay for a stage to take her the rest of the way. She was so disappointed since she had been looking forward to sleeping in a comfortable hotel room tonight. Instead, she found herself lucky to get on the last stage out of Lincoln. They had assured her it wouldn’t be long until she arrived.

Candace always thought she was fairly tall for a woman, but the steps to get into the coach were enormous. She felt so tiny and small until she got into the actual carriage. Then, she was stuffed inside with three others who were going to Last Chance as well. Two ladies were on one bench while the only seat available was next to man who already had his wide-brimmed hat covering his face. She had to step over his outstretched legs and almost fell into her seat. The man hadn’t even bothered to look up or move his feet. He certainly was not a gentleman and she would ignore him for the ride. How rude!

“Hello. We’re going to Last Chance to visit an old friend. Are you going there as well? I’m Caroline and this is my sister Kate. We love to travel and whenever we get the chance, we go wherever we can to get away from our parents.” Both women giggled like young girls. Candace wasn’t really in the mood for conversation since it had been a long, dusty ride but she smiled anyway.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, her voice a bit raspy from being parched. She held a hand over her mouth and coughed, then tried to sit back to rest. That wasn’t going to happened, she realized, when Caroline continued talking.

“We are eighteen months apart. Our parents are abroad so that’s how we get away with leaving without an escort.”

After about fifteen minutes, Candace glanced over to see the man had not taken his hat off his face. She wished she could do that since smiling and nodding were exhausting her. Maybe if she closed her eyes, the woman would stop talking. Candace tried that, but she still wouldn’t stop. It almost made her laugh and she thought perhaps the man with the hat over his face had known all along the lady was a talker. Or, he was much more experienced in stage travel than she was.

The stage driver called out, “Last Chance coming up! Get ready, the wagon’s gonna jerk around a little.”

He wasn’t wrong. When the horses came to a complete stop, the coach rocked back and forth. Candace had to place a hand over her stomach. She leaned forward a bit to make the queasiness go away and when she looked up she noticed the two ladies across from her were also hunched over.

And silent.

That was one way to keep them both quiet. She remembered hearing a creaking sound then sunlight streamed in through the open door. At least it was still daylight out. The curtains had been drawn to keep out the dust from the road, so they weren’t able to see outside the carriage during the ride.

She lifted her chin, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Fresh air filled her nostrils and she smiled. Finally, she was here! When she opened her eyes the man beside her was gone. He must’ve jumped out the carriage and took off before the other ladies got a word in. Both of them were now finding it difficult to get out of their seats.

She waited until both sisters got their footing and were helped down the steps by the carriage driver. When it was her turn, he gave her a huge smile. “I’m Lucas. It’s been a pleasure having you ride with us today, ma’am. Enjoy your stay in Last Chance. If you need anything, just stop by the stage office.”

She thanked him and waited until he removed her trunk from the top of the stage. It took a while since the sisters had their luggage there, too. Once it was on the ground, she picked up her carpet bag and checked to make sure her reticule was still tied to her wrist. She turned to the driver. “I’ll be staying at the local hotel. How can I get my trunk there and can you point me in the right direction?”

Not that Last Chance was a huge town, it wasn’t. But she didn’t want to have to walk too far after the long ride. A bed was calling her name and she intended to get some much needed sleep. She wasn’t sure what furniture was in the property she had bought, so a hotel room had to suffice for one night. Tomorrow, she’d figure it all out.

Lucas pointed Candace and the sisters in the right direction and it wasn’t far at all to the hotel. It was easier now to ignore the two ladies since they had finally agreed they were both exhausted as well.

After checking in, the owner had someone bring her trunk to her room and she settled in. Actually, she fell onto the bed without removing her dress and laid flat on her back. Staring at the ceiling, Candace thought about getting up and looking for somewhere to eat a meal, but instead her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she hurried with her routine, washing from the basin sitting on the dresser. She brushed her long blonde hair and then braided a strand on each side, pinning the two braids together and letting the rest of her hair fall freely down her back. After donning a clean skirt and blouse from her trunk, she went downstairs to the lobby.

“Good morning,” she told the woman behind the desk. “I’m wondering if you can help me find a place to have some breakfast?”

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