They walked down Main Street, mindful of some of the celebrating going on. The saloons were alive with music and revelry.
“The boys are letting out their aggressions,” Owen said, shaking his head. “It never fails that Saturday brings out the wild in everyone—railroaders, miners, and cowboys.”
“Even you?” she asked with a teasing tone in her voice.
“The wild in me is long gone. I’m pretty quiet and boring. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you.”
“Not at all.” Susanna turned to see his face in the fading light. “I’ll take quiet and boring.”
Her attention was diverted as a man came flying out of a saloon and into the street. He landed on his backside and rolled end over end. Another man stood in the doorway of the drinking establishment. He was a big man with a dirty apron covering equally dirty clothes. He tossed a hat toward the man on the street.
“And stay out until you can keep your opinions to yourself.” The barkeep glanced toward Owen and Susanna before heading back inside.
When the man on the ground finally managed to get to his feet, Susanna was stunned to see it was her brother.
“Gary! What in the world is going on?”
He shook the dirt off his clothes and picked up his straw hat. “Nothing. We were just having some fun.”
“It doesn’t look like fun.”
“It wasn’t anything. See, I’m not even drunk.”
“Well, thank God for that. I’d hate to have to deal with you if so.”
Gary frowned and looked at Owen. “Why are you with him?”
Susanna bristled. “Not that it’s any of your business, especially given the circumstances, but Owen is walking me back to the hotel after my quilting party.”
“Humph!” Gary turned away. “You could walk home without him.”
“And encounter rowdies like you without someone to protect her?” Owen asked.
“I’m not a rowdy, and no one’s going to bother her. The fellas know she’s my sister.”
“And that’s supposed to keep her safe?” Owen refused to let it drop.
“Well . . . I don’t know.” Gary looked away and shook his head. “I just don’t like my sister cozying up to my boss.”
Susanna stopped mid-step and turned to her brother. “Gary, you may not be drunk, but you are running off at the mouth. I’m a widow. I’m in charge of myself now. You’re a good brother, and you’ve told me over and over how much you like Owen. I don’t know what has you in a mood now, but maybe some sleep would be best before you open your mouth again and cause irreparable harm to yourself.”
Gary looked at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing and then closing for a moment. Finally, he opened his eyes wide. “Sorry. Maybe I drank more than I thought.”
Susanna nodded. “Hopefully it won’t happen again.” She smiled and pointed to the hotel. “But no harm. We’re back, and you can sleep it off.”
Gary nodded and left them before anything more could be said.
Susanna turned to Owen. “I don’t know what got into him. He’s never been that way with me.”
“You were always with one man in the past,” Owen said gently. “He grew up seeing that and expecting you and Mark to be together. This is something new for him.”
She smiled. “Something new for me as well.”
9
Gary, I think it’s time we try to find you a different job,” Owen told the younger man. “You aren’t cut out for boilermaker work, and boilers are much too important to just skim by doing a so-so job. None of the railroad work can take that kind of attitude, but there are other jobs you might find more interesting.”
Gary frowned. “You’re just getting rid of me because I don’t want you keeping company with my sister.”
“And why is that?” Owen asked him. “Have I done anything wrong? Have I treated her with anything less than the utmost respect?”
Gary shook his head. “I just don’t want her getting hurt. That’s all.”
He was embarrassed to be caught in the middle of his sister’s affairs, but he’d given this a lot of thought. If she got tied up with Owen, then the money she had would be tied up too, and she’d stop helping the family. It hadn’t really worried him before, but lately Gary thought about it more and more. He hadn’t realized she was rich until Uncle Harrison’s comment. Susanna might be their only hope for getting back to normal. Why should he work if she had the money to send him to school?
“I don’t have any intentions of hurting your sister, Gary.”
“Well, then, don’t fire me. She’ll be really mad if you let me go. She’s going see it as a real problem. We’re really close. That’s why I’m living at the hotel.”
Owen looked at him for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m not firing you. I’m just trying to figure out a job you’d be good at. There are a lot of different things to do around here, as you well know. Boilermaker isn’t the only position. You might even like something on the rail itself or on the train. Maybe you could learn to be a brakeman. It’s dangerous, but you might enjoy it.”
“And get myself killed? I’ve heard terrible stories about getting crushed between cars. No, thanks.”
“Well, it was just an idea. There are a lot of other things you might consider. There are even office jobs. You might find that more to your liking than working so hard out here.”
Gary shook his head. “Reading is hard for me. I just want to stay here in the shops. I know I can get good at this.”
“But we don’t have time for you to gradually improve. I need a good man right now.” Owen paused, looking rueful. “I can’t keep covering for you.”
“If you like my sister, you will. Otherwise, I’ll tell her that you ruined it for me—that you’ve been against me from the beginning.”
Owen frowned. “You know that would be a lie.”
Gary did, and for the first time, the idea pricked his conscience. Before in life, whenever he needed to press someone into helping him, it wasn’t a difficult matter. He’d find some way to make them see things his way. It was basically how he got through school. But Owen was different. Owen had been kind to him—a real friend.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to lose this. I guess if you have an idea for another job, I’ll try it,” Gary said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’m not trying to be difficult.”
“You aren’t a bad kid,” Owen said. “I want this to work out for you. We just need to find something you’re good at.”
Gary shook his head. “I’ve never been good at anything.”
Owen frowned. “You will be. Maybe I need to figure out a different way of teaching you.”
By the look on Owen’s face, Gary knew he’d won. Somehow, he was just going to have to show Owen that he could manage this job. He didn’t want to end up with someone else telling him what to do. At least this way, Owen was interested in Susanna, and that gave Gary a tiny bit of leverage. After all, Owen wouldn’t want to ruin his chances with Susanna by causing trouble for her brother.