Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 86(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 86(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
I look around this place and smile, seeing all of the other women with their friends and female family.
Four days ago, my sisters and I came into this Saloon and did something we never would have done.
“Hi. Can I speak to Tobias Mitchell,” I ask the man behind the Saloon counter. My sisters are all here with me, all of us anxious and unsure of ourselves, but also full of confidence thanks to the men who love us.
“I’m Tobias. Let me guess, you are the sister brides who married the first set of suckers.” His growly voice almost makes me want to run, but I hold my ground.
“We are sisters, yes. I am Hannah Blackstone.” He grunts and barely looks at me.
“Why are you here?” Oh boy. Who floured his bread wrong?
“We would like for you to institute a girls night on Wednesdays.” There. Right to the point. He turns and looks at us, a sneer on his face before turning away from us.
“I don’t think so,” he says, not giving it any thought.
“Excuse me, what?” Miriam asks, getting loud. It is early in the day so there is no one inside and no music playing with no television on.
“I said no.” His voice raises and goosebumps begin to form on my skin and not the good kind. I turn to tell my sisters let’s just go, but then Rachel pipes up.
“Do you know that sexual discrimination is illegal in all of the States, including this one? The men have a standing night for themselves where they can come and have a good time. Mayor Hollow is trying to bring this town back to life and that includes bringing women into it. How would he feel if I told him you are refusing to include us as part of your patrons?” My mouth drops open, my eyes blinking over and over making sure it is my sister Rachel, the very one who cried when the robin above our barn, lost one of her chicks.
“Fucking hell,” he mumbles, running his hands through his hair. “Fine. What do you propose?”
For the next hour we sit with him and outline a name, Lady Hollow’s Night Out. We convinced him to put color changing LED lights inside so on ladies night, they could be pink. We asked if the menu could include some salads, vegetarian options, and if all girlie drinks can be non-alcoholic.
With his reluctant permission, we made fliers and posted them in all the businesses and had Geeb place an ad in the paper.
“How did they take it?” Rachel asks. I look up at her and smile knowing she is asking about our husbands. When Sadie, Ada and I told our husbands, they were not happy, to say the least. Mine pouted like a little boy and asked me why I needed a night out without him? I laughed, stroked his ego and then stroked something else with my tongue. When I told him my sisters and I just want a night out to be ladies and enjoy the things we have never gotten to do, he gave up and gave in.
“Lavinia, that dress is gorgeous on you.” I yell over the music. It is true. She is in a red shirt dress that stops above her knees with these cute black ankle boots she bought from Charleston the other day when we went shopping for night out clothes.
“Thanks. I actually feel sexy in it.” She answers me but then her face lights up. I notice she is looking over my shoulder and I turn to find Carter walking in. Still sporting the black eyes from the fight, he spots Lavinia immediately and he makes his way over to our table.
“Ladies.” He smiles acknowledging all of us.
“Carter. I am surprised to see you here on ladies night.” Sadie chides him.
“Well someone has to come watch out for you ladies. Especially when your husbands don’t.” He says the words, but his eyes are on Vini. The atmosphere begins to heat up and something feels a bit uncomfortable. “Come dance with me.” He holds his hand out, no attention paid to the rest of us. In the same trance as him, Lavinia takes his hand and walks onto the dance floor with him.
“Uhm should we say something?” Rachel asks, concerned. I know what she means. My gut is telling me to intervene and remind her she is a married woman, but this is the first genuine smile I have seen from her since she married Alton. I wish she would talk to us. Standing, I walk over to the bar to get the tab so maybe we can leave and get her out of this situation.
“What the hell are you wearing?” My head whips around and standing in front of the door is Jude, flanked by Jasper. Oh crap. I purposely didn’t let him see me before I left.