Hattie Read online

  “Oh, no, that’s terrible! Why would Cletus not like him?” Katie wondered.

  “I don’t know. He said that it was a bad area.” Hattie wasn’t sure why Cletus had had such a strong reaction to Will.

  Katie thought for a moment. “I’m sure if Cletus got to know him, he wouldn’t dislike him.”

  “You’re probably right,” Hattie agreed. “But it doesn’t matter because soon the rodeo will move on to the next town, and we’ll never see any of them ever again.”

  Katie sighed dramatically. “That’s awfully sad.”

  “I know.” Hattie closed her eyes. “I wish he didn’t have to leave.”

  Katie nodded. “I wish I could see that show again. So much was happening, I could hardly pay attention.”

  “I wonder how much longer they’ll be in town . . .” Hattie trailed off, an idea forming in her mind.

  “I think Cletus said they’d be here for two weeks,” Katie replied.

  “And I wonder how much tickets are,” Hattie continued.

  Katie’s mouth dropped open. “Hattie, are you thinking up a plan over there?”

  Hattie smiled. “It’s only a thought. But if you’re interested . . .”

  “Tell me more.” Katie tried to suppress her giggles but failed.

  In the dark, Hattie whispered her idea to Katie, and both girls fell asleep, laughing and dreaming of leaping horses and rodeo cowboys.

  In the morning, Hattie was stern. “Not a word of this to Edna Petunia or Cletus.”

  Katie nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

  Hattie chuckled. With a little luck, her plan would work out just fine.

  While they lived in the Sanders’ house, each orphan was responsible for either working or attending school. Since Hattie had finished her schooling, she helped out around the house three days per week and worked at the mercantile two days per week, helping her sister Ruby and Ruby’s husband, Lewis, clean up around the shop.

  It was one of her days to work at home, not at the mercantile, but Hattie needed to make a trip there in order for her plan to work. She skipped breakfast and did the washing. When she was done, she hung the clean clothes up to dry on a piece of twine strung between two trees.

  After she had finished, she went back into the house and kissed Edna Petunia on the cheek. “I need to go to the mercantile. I left one of my books there, and I’d like to read it.” Hattie was only stretching the truth, not lying. She really had left a book at the mercantile.

  But there was another reason she wanted to go into town.

  Fortunately, Edna Petunia didn’t question her. “All right, dear.”

  Hattie looked at Katie meaningfully before she left the house. She knew Katie could keep a secret—most of the time. She was counting on her not to breathe a word of their plan to their parents. Edna Petunia and Cletus surely would not approve. Katie smiled at Hattie and motioned that her lips were sealed.

  Hattie left the house and set off for town. It was a dry summer day in Nowhere, and the sun was shining. She marveled at how beautiful her town was. She was very glad that of all the places the church could have sent her and her sisters, they’d chosen to send them to Texas.

  By the time she got to the mercantile, Lewis was opening the store for the day. He changed the sign from CLOSED to OPEN so the citizens of Nowhere would know that they could visit the mercantile and do their shopping for the week.

  “Hattie! I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” Lewis held the door open so Hattie could enter the store.

  "I know I’m not working today, but I figured I’d stop by and see if you needed any help,” Hattie began. “Also, while I’m here, I wonder if you have any extra tickets for the rodeo?”

  Lewis’s face brightened. “That’s kind of you. And yes, Cletus was in here just a few days ago purchasing tickets. The Wild West Show sounds like a great deal of fun.”

  Hattie took a deep breath. “I’d like to purchase two more.” She hoped Lewis wouldn’t question her motives.

  Lewis wore a puzzled expression. “Aren’t you going to go with Cletus?”

  Hattie nodded quickly. “He took the three of us last night, and Edna Petunia of course. It was wonderful, so wonderful I want to see it again!”

  “Oh, I see.” Lewis stroked his chin. “Well, I have a few extra tickets. Admission is a nickel per person.”

  Hattie pulled out the small coin purse she carried in her pocket and dug for change. She handed two nickels to Lewis.

  Lewis went to the register and took two paper tickets out of a small stack. He held them out to Hattie.

  As Hattie reached for them, Lewis held them back. “I assume Edna Petunia and Cletus know that you’re going again, right?”

  Hattie’s heart raced, and her hands felt clammy. She hadn’t officially asked Edna Petunia or Cletus about seeing the show again. She wasn’t sure what to say.

  “I know they can sometimes be strict with you girls who still live at home,” Lewis explained. “I don’t want to get on their bad side.”

  Hattie nodded. “I understand. It won’t be a problem.”

  Lewis hesitated for a moment. Finally, he held the tickets out to her again.

  Hattie snatched them quickly. “Thank you, Lewis!” She began to rush out the door. Before she could exit the mercantile, she remembered her earlier promise. She paused and turned back to face Lewis. “Did you need any help straightening up today?”

  Lewis looked around the mercantile and chuckled. “Thanks for checking, Hattie. But I think we’re all right for now. Go on and enjoy yourselves at the Wild West Show tonight!”

  Hattie thanked Lewis and hurried home. The entire way back, she daydreamed about handsome Will and his impressive tricks. She couldn’t wait for the chance to see him again. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

  Once safely back in the Sanders’ house, her daily chores seemed to drag on for ages. It was her turn to mop the kitchen and parlor floors, and Hattie spent hours on her hands and knees, scrubbing and thinking about Will’s riding and maneuvering.

  After a brief lunch of pork and beans, Hattie returned to her chores. She was responsible for dusting the entirety of the house, and she knew the task may take her until the end of the day. By her estimate, as long as she and Katie departed just after dinner, they would arrive at the rodeo show just in time to see all of the featured acts.

  Katie was busy elsewhere with chores of her own, but she kept finding reasons to sneak into whatever room Hattie happened to be dusting. “I’m so excited!”

  Hattie glared at her to remind Katie to be quiet. “I am, too, but if you talk too loud, they’ll find out and they’ll never let us go!”

  Katie simply smiled and skipped away.

  Hattie couldn’t blame Katie—both of them were excited about their second trip to the Wild West.

  Finally, it was time for dinner. Since it was Katie’s turn to help prepare and serve the meal, she took extra care and attention into what Cletus got on his plate. They hoped to distract him so he wouldn’t object to their leaving the house after dinner, which was an unusual occurrence.

  Hattie waited until the perfect moment in the meal before she said anything. Cletus was gnawing on a large fried chicken wing, Edna Petunia was snoring after having fallen asleep at the table, and Theresa and Katie were watching their parents, amused. Hattie took a deep breath. “Katie and I are going to Ruby’s house this evening to watch the baby.”

  At first, no one said anything. Hattie began to breathe a little more fully, but then Cletus stopped mid-bite. “What’s that?”

  Katie looked down at her plate. She had stopped eating.

  Hattie met Cletus’s gaze. “Ruby asked us to help watch the baby this evening. She’s doing something for the mercantile. A big order or something.”

  Cletus frowned. “Isn’t it awfully late?”

  “It’s a little late,” Hattie admitted. “But Katie and I are both able to take care of ourselves.”

  Cletus sighed loudl
y. “Take the wagon.”

  Hattie thought she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Excuse me?”

  “Take the wagon. You know how to drive it, don’t you?” Cletus continued as if it were a normal occurrence to offer one of his daughters the ability to drive the family wagon.

  Hattie smiled gratefully. “Yes, I do. Oh, thank you, Cletus!” Hattie couldn’t help herself. She stood up and walked over to Cletus, throwing her arms around him.

  Cletus shook his head in amusement. “Don’t get used to it. I don’t want you girls to think I’ve gone soft in my old age.”

  After dinner, Hattie and Katie quickly did the dishes and put them away, then went outside to the wagon. It was still light out, thankfully, and Hattie prepared for their journey the same way Cletus had taught her to.

  She stroked the lead horse’s hair and patted her on the rump. “Ready, girl?” After both girls had climbed into the wagon, Hattie took the reins into her hands and flicked them. The horses took off at a quick trot, and Hattie steered them toward the Bagley fairgrounds.

  As they raced toward the rodeo, Hattie’s heart pounded. She had never snuck away from her house before, and she felt guilty that she had involved Katie in her scheme, too. She hated lying or being untruthful to her parents, and she wished she could immediately return to the Sanders’ home and be honest with her parents.

  But every time she felt guilty, she would remember Will’s face and his kind, soulful eyes. She wanted to stare into those eyes for hours on end, to learn what made him tick, to take his hand into hers and hold it for the longest time.

  Surely there was a reason that she had met Will the previous night. It was almost like fate had brought them together.

  “What are you thinking about?” Katie’s voice rattled as they trotted over the bumpy ground.

  “Will,” Hattie admitted. She wondered what his full name was and where he had grown up. He seemed so tall and mysterious.

  “I still can’t believe you got to meet him!” Katie squealed.

  “I can’t believe it either,” Hattie confessed.

  The girls made it to the fairgrounds quickly, and Hattie tied the horses to a post after parking the wagon. She felt a twinge of guilt when she thought of Edna Petunia and Cletus sitting at home, thinking they were both at Ruby’s house, but she ignored it and moved toward the entrance.

  A fast-talking man took their tickets and pointed them toward the pavilion. “Pick your seats!”

  Katie began walking toward the seats, but Hattie grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Follow me,” Hattie whispered.

  Katie was surprised, but she obeyed Hattie’s command.

  Hattie led Katie through the gathering crowds toward the tents she had seen the day before. Sure enough, the area around them was full of boisterous laughter.

  Hattie scanned the crowd for Will but couldn’t see him. She did recognize Jessie, the maternal woman she had met the day before along with Will.

  “Why, there’s the pretty little girl again!” Jessie exclaimed as she rushed toward Hattie. “And you have a friend!”

  “She’s my sister,” Hattie explained.

  Jessie looked back and forth between the two girls but didn’t say anything.

  Hattie couldn't blame Jessie—she and Katie looked nothing alike. But she usually let people assume they were biological sisters. It was just easier that way.

  “I was hoping—” Hattie began nervously, then stopped.

  Katie watched her sister patiently. When Hattie didn’t speak up, Katie interjected. “We’re looking for Will. The man with one arm!”

  Jessie’s eyes twinkled. “He’s getting ready for the show. I’ll tell him he had a few visitors, though.”

  “No!” Hattie exclaimed. “Please, don’t tell him that.”

  Jessie looked at Hattie, puzzled.

  “I don’t want it to go to his head!” Hattie explained after a bit of thought. She was having a hard time explaining it, but she didn’t want Will to know she had been asking after him.

  “Whatever you say. Now, you two should hurry—you don’t want to miss the opening act!” Jessie cried.

  Hattie and Katie wished Jessie a good evening and rushed to their seats. The audience quieted just as they sat down. Again, the announcer came to the center of the arena and welcomed the men on horses out to do their various tricks.

  Tonight, though, Hattie noticed several things she hadn’t noticed earlier. For one, one of the men wasn’t a man at all—she was a woman on horseback! She could stand on her horse and even do a handstand on top of the saddle!

  “How is she able to balance like that?” Katie whispered to Hattie.

  Hattie shook her head, impressed beyond words.

  When Will came out, Hattie’s breath caught in her throat. As he hung precariously to his horse, Hattie felt like she was connected with him in a special way. If Will got hurt or fell off his horse, Hattie knew she would feel pain, too. Fortunately, Will was incredibly steady and talented. Again, the crowd cheered more for him than any of the other performers.

  That evening, there were also jugglers who threw colorful plates into the air and danced with bright scarves. Hattie enjoyed all of the performances but none as much as Will’s. He seemed to be able to communicate with his horse, jumping and dancing all over the arena, and he was expert in the shooting events despite the fact that he only had one hand and one hook to hold the gun with.

  By the end of the show, Hattie couldn’t help it—Will had captured her imagination. As she and Katie left the arena with the other audience members, Katie caught Hattie looking around. “What are you looking at?”

  Hattie’s cheeks flushed. “I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Will.”

  Katie’s eyes glistened mischievously. “Let’s find him!”

  Hattie frowned. “We need to get back home. Edna Petunia and Cletus will worry.”

  “A few minutes won’t hurt.” Katie took off running in the direction of the tents Hattie had shown her earlier.

  Hattie felt nervous, but she followed her sister into the crowd. Katie darted through the crowds skillfully, and Hattie had to rush to catch up, trying not to bump into anyone.

  When they got to the tent area, several men, dancers, and the female rider they had seen in the show clustered around the structures.

  People laughed and cheered, clapping each other on the back. Hattie felt nervous to be close to so many talented people, but Katie seemed right at home.

  “Excuse me, we’re looking for Will. Is he here?” Katie said boldly.

  Hattie blushed. Although she couldn’t believe how forward Katie was, she also loved that about her sister.

  “You mean Will Hart?” a man asked.

  “What do you want with Will?” a voice asked.

  “He’ll only lead to trouble!” another man put in.

  “Who’s asking about me?” Suddenly, Will himself appeared directly in front of Hattie, a confident smirk on his face. “Oh. It’s you!”

  Hattie flushed with pleasure. She couldn’t believe he had remembered her. She thought he must be used to meeting all types of women on his tours. There was no way he thought she was something special. But it was nice just to be noticed.

  The cowboy leaned down and whispered into her ear, sending chills up and down her spine. “I’m glad you couldn’t stay away from me.”

  Hattie couldn’t breathe. She blinked her eyes, trying to calm herself, but it wasn’t working.

  Fortunately, Katie stepped in. “How did you get to be so good at riding a horse? Especially with one arm?”

  The crowd laughed and cleared some space around Katie, Hattie, and Will. There were other fans who wanted to speak to some of the other performers, and Hattie was grateful to have the extra space.

  “I don’t mind telling you all about that on one condition,” Will said with a twinkle in his eye.

  “What’s the condition?” Katie asked.

  “That you tell me your name and your lovely friend’s
name,” Will replied, not taking his eyes off Hattie’s face. Hattie felt like her cheeks were on fire, but she held her gaze steady.

  Katie giggled. “Oh, that’s easy! I’m Katie Sanders, and this is my sister, Hattie. We live in Nowhere.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Katie, Hattie.” Since Will’s right arm was missing, he used his left hand to shake with each girl. “I’m Will Hart.”

  When their hands met, Hattie felt an instant connection with him. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips, and her heart raced. Her mind clouded so she could no longer focus on anything but the beautiful man standing in front of her.

  Suddenly, Hattie realized that both Katie and Will were looking at her.

  “Are you okay?” Katie frowned. “You’re just standing there.”

  Hattie straightened up and took a few deep breaths. “Please excuse me.”

  Hattie began to take a walk back toward the arena. Although the show had ended, several people still gathered, talking excitedly about the show. Hattie had to admit, she could understand their enthusiasm. Even though she’d seen the show two nights in a row, she had a feeling that she could see it every night straight for weeks and never get bored.

  Hattie fanned her face, hoping she didn’t look as red as she felt. There was something about Will Hart that made her feel dangerous and exciting. She wanted to chase that feeling and to be with him all the time, but she knew that Cletus wouldn’t approve of it.

  For that matter, Cletus probably wouldn’t approve of anything she had done that day. She searched the crowd for Katie, knowing they needed to get out of Bagley as soon as possible.

  Hattie felt sick to her stomach knowing she had misled her parents. Finally, she caught sight of Katie’s braids and rushed up to her. “We need to go!”

  Katie smiled sweetly at Will Hart. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Will. I do hope we’ll see you again before you leave us!”

  Will tipped his hat to Hattie and winked at her. “Your sister’s a doll, but I wish you had stuck around to talk to me a little more. I’d like to get to know you better.”